Everything Has Changed
by Samitballi
Summary: When Gibbs finds out he has a teenage daughter he didn't know about, he has a lot to figure out. Now they are both in danger and running out of time. Will Gibbs be able to save his own daughter? Or will she just turn around and save him?
1. Chapter 1

_Summery:_ When Gibbs finds out he has a teenage daughter he didn't know about, he has a lot to figure out. Now they are both in danger and running out of time. Will Gibbs be able to save his own daughter? Or will she just turn around and save him.

Author's Note: This is my first NCIS fanfic so go easy on me ;) I absolutely LOVE reviews! So please, if you have anything to say at all, never hesitate =) And without further ado...enjoy :)

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><p>Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs pulled his car to the curb and threw it in Park. He was in the middle of the city working a case that was out of his jurisdiction. But NCIS Director Leon Vance gave him the case. He didn't know why but it was a case just like any other and so he would treat it as such. Gibb's team was already there examining the body and the crime scene. <em>DiNozzo will be asking questions<em>, Gibbs said to himself. He'd just have to play it close to the vest- like he almost always did. Gibbs exited the vehicle and headed towards his team and the dead body they lingered over.

"What do we got?" he asked as he approached Special Agents Ziva David and Timothy McGee as they were photographing and collecting the evidence on and by the body. Ziva was the one to respond.

"Michael Cunnings. Thirty-eight. Ducky isn't here yet but it looks like multiple stab sounds to the abdomen." she told him but a voice interrupted from behind Gibbs. They turned to see Doctor Mallard approaching.

"I'm right here, Ziva." Ducky said as he advanced, Coroners Assistant Jimmy Palmer trailing closely behind. Ducky knelt by the body and began his external examination of the victim while he told a story about a body he once had that had a gunshot wound that looked remarkably like a stabbing. "Never judge a wound by its appearance, Miss David."

"I'm sorry, Ducky." Ziva replied with a smile.

"Got a time of death for me, Doc?" Gibbs asked as he scribbled in his pocket sized notebook. Doctor Mallard leaned back from the body to look up at Gibbs.

"I'd say somewhere between eight and ten hours ago. I'll know more once I get him on my table. Fetch the gurney would you Jimmy? I'm afraid I've injured my back recently." Ducky replied.

"Are you okay, Doctor?" Jimmy asked with concern but Ducky just patted his shoulder.

"Old age, my boy, does not agree with me. Just get the gurney and we'll get our friend here back to the lab." Ducky said and Jimmy excused himself to get the stretcher.

"I got something over here boss!" Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo shouted and Gibbs turned towards the sound. Tony was crouched over by a dumpster holding a piece of paper in his gloved hand. "Looks like a business card." Tony said. "It's faded by it looks like the name Cunnings is printed on it. That's our vic."

"Get that to Abby. She'll be able to tell us what it is. And take Ziva-" Gibbs said as he headed back towards his car.

"To the vic's house. Got it boss!" Tony said over Gibbs, smiling triumphantly as he bagged the evidence. "Weird case though, huh boss? Not exactly our jurisdiction."

Gibbs just shrugged and kept walking.

~!~!~!~

"Nice diggs for a guy we found on a street in the middle of Drug Town, USA." Tony said as he and Ziva entered the victims place. It was spacious three-bedroom home with expensive looking furniture and a state-of-the-art security system. They walked through the house going through Michael Cunnings belongings.

"Expensive and impersonal." Ziva said. "I don't see any personal photos or notes or anything. Looks like he lived here alone too." Ziva was standing by the fireplace holding an oddly shaped heavy metal object. Maybe a paper weight- probably not. She didn't have any other reasonable guesses though. "Don't you think it's weird that we're working this case?" she said as they snooped.

"I'll admit it's out of our cattle drive but we've worked stranger cases. And Gibbs said Vance gave him the case so we're gonna treat it like any other." Tony said maturely but Ziva could tell his curiosity was killing him. "It is strange though. _Conspiracy Theory_ weird. Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts-"

"Or maybe its not." Ziva cut-in, holding up the only picture frame in the house. It had been sitting on Michael Cunnings desk in his office. "I think I know why Vance gave us this case." she said, handing Tony the photo of Director Vance and the victim. "They were friends."

~!~!~!~

Director Leon Vance sat in his office, about to pick up the phone and call his wife over her lunch break, when Gibbs entered unannounced. Vance really hated it when he did that. But Gibbs would be Gibbs and there was nothing anyone could do about it. "Can I help you with something?" Vance asked, returning the telephone to its receiver.

"Just wondering why you failed to mention you know the victim of the right field case I'm working?" Gibbs replied easily. Vance leaned back in his chair. He knew Gibbs would figure it out eventually. Was he counting on later rather then sooner? Sure. But that didn't make a difference now that he knew. All Vance had left to do was tell Gibbs the honest truth.

"It wasn't important at the time-"

"Bull," Gibbs interjected like he always did. "You got my team chasing a case that we're not supposed to handle because it's your friend. You're using me and my team for the answers to your own questions and I don't like it."

"I couldn't very well investigate the case myself and you know how it would've been treated by the local police. Like a drug deal gone bad. He died in an unfortunate place but that doesn't mean he was tangled in anything illegal. He was a good man, Agent Gibbs. And I need you to prove that." Vance replied.

"And what if I can't? What if he really did die in a drug deal gone bad? I need to know that you're going to back my play when the board starts breathing down my neck about working a case out of my jurisdiction."

"Just find out who killed Michael and we'll talk about the rest later. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make. See yourself out the way you see yourself in." Vance said, motioning to the door. Gibbs stormed out angrily, tired of being used. His team had always been a weak spot for Gibbs but recently they'd been used more times then he cared to count. And he was sick of it.

_This is the end of it_, he thought to himself. _Never again am I letting my team do this._

Gibbs went back downstairs to the bull-pin where the team was at their desks. "What do you got for me?" he asked angrily as he rushed to enter the ring. Tony, Ziva and McGee all stood up simultaneously and went to the plasma screen where Tony pointed the remote and clicked the little button.

"Michael Cunnings; thirty eight; he had a younger sister Joanna Cunnings and he has a niece Taylor. He used to be the primary caregiver for Taylor when her mother passed away in '98. When Taylor was sixteen she filed for emancipation and was granted such on grounds of neglect." Tony said as he clicked up first the document of Taylor's emancipation then a picture or the girl. She was very pretty with wavy, shoulder length cinnamon colored hair and surprisingly blue eyes. Ziva noted the resemblance between her and Gibbs but didn't say anything- neither did any of the other's.

"Do we know where she is?" Gibbs asked. Questions were rolling through his head a million miles a second as he stared at the girl on the screen.

"Umm, she has an apartment on Jay Street. I was going to head there now, boss…" Tony said but Gibbs cut him off.

"Ziva you're with me," he said, gathering his things. "Tony find out more about the sister. McGee I want to know why he was in that alley way."

"On it boss!" McGee and Tony said at the same time then glared at each other. Ziva grabbed her things and quickly followed Gibbs to the elevator where he was impatiently waiting. They elevator ride was companionably quiet but Ziva talked the whole car ride. Gibbs didn't say much though. The names and information reeling through his head was too much. He couldn't think straight.

Finally when they arrived at Taylor Cunnings apartment complex, Ziva stopped talking. They exited the vehicle and headed towards the house. "Taylor has a black Land Rover registered under her name. I bet that's it." Ziva said as she pointed to a black Land Rover. It was an older model but in good condition. Same thing with the house. It was technically a townhouse but it was connected to another and the upstairs section was being rented out- which made it into an apartment.

They walked up to the side by side front doors and knocked. The door to the right lead to a staircase so Gibbs knocked on the left hoping that one lead to Taylor's apartment. Sounds of a scuffle sounded behind the door followed by, "Awe damn it!" then the door clumsily swung open. Taylor stood there in jeans and a blouse with what looked like tea spilt over it.

"Can I help you?" she asked, holding the sticky shirt away from his stomach.

"I'm Agent David and this is Agent Gibbs. We'd like to talk to you about your uncle Michael Cunnings; do you have a minute?" Ziva asked when Gibbs didn't say anything. Taylor looked surprised for a minute but nodded and let them in.

The place was small- as to be expected- but well decorated. There was a window seat covered in soft looking blankets and large pillows, as were the chairs and couches. The coffee table was covered in what looked like homework and the television was on a Christmas music station. Taylor rushed to turn off the TV and clear a spot for each of them to sit. "Sorry, I like to celebrate early." she said with a smile as she turned the music off. Ziva smiled, agreeing.

"Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee, water." Taylor asked, holding her own spilt cup of tea in her hands. Ziva asked for a cup of tea but Gibbs didn't want anything. "If you don't mind I'd like to change my shirt quickly?"

Taylor walked towards the kitchen, set up Ziva's tea then continued down the long narrow hallway like house. She entered a room- seemingly her bedroom- then returned a second latter with a different, clean shirt. She shut the door tightly behind her. "Here you go," she said as she handed Ziva her drink. "So what's this about again?" she asked, taking a seat on the couch across from them.

"I'm sorry to inform you but your uncle Michael is dead." Ziva said but Taylor barely reacted at all. "He was stabbed to death late last night in the inner-city." That got a reaction from Taylor. She ran her hand down her face and mumbled, "Oh man" under her breath. "Do you know anything about why he was there?"

Taylor looked up. "Of course. He was dealing." she said smoothly. "He was all kinds of wrapped up in the drug game. Using, dealing, making. You name it and he was involved. And I mean _heavily_ involved. When I was younger I used to think he was some kind of drug king- like a mob boss for drugs. I knew one day it would kill him."

"Can you tell us when he started using and dealing?" Gibbs asked, standing up. He was just a bundle of nerves for some reason and he couldn't sit still. He moseyed around, looking at Taylor's pictures and books on the shelf behind him.

"Oh before I was even born. I couldn't tell you exactly when but his bud Martin could. They've been like brothers forever. Closer to each other then he ever was with me or my mom." Taylor said. She opened the end table draw and shuffled around for a bit then produced a little piece of paper. "That's Martin's name and number. I think its still good- it's at least worth a shot."

Gibbs was looking through her books when he stumbled across the framed picture on the shelf. It was a woman and her daughter- both with beautiful wavy cinnamon hair and ivory skin. The mother had eyes the color of emeralds while her child's eyes were metallic blue. The resemblance was uncanny and the recognition on Gibbs's face was undeniable. He just stared at the photo, counting backwards in his head.

"That's my mother," Taylor said, bringing Gibbs back to the present. "She died when I was really young. But she certainly was beautiful." she said as she approached Gibbs. His eyes darted back and forth between Taylor and the portrait of her and her mother.

_Eighteen…fifteen…twelve…nine…six…three…_Gibbs counted in his head. All the way from eighteen down to one, he counted then counted again._ 2007...2004...2001...1998...1995...1992..._

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked, noting the odd color Gibbs's face was turning.

"Umm, yeah," he replied shakily, taking a step back. He was losing it! "I need some air." he said anxiously and rushed to exit. Once he was outside it was easier to breath. He took in big gulps of air through the mouth as he braced his hands against his knees. He was reeling.

He counted again in his head. _2007, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1995, 1992..._The numbers kept coming up the same no matter how many times Gibbs counted. _It can't be!_ He just kept telling himself. _It's not possible!_

But it really was. 1992 was the year Gibbs met Joanna Cunnings. That was also the year he'd slept with her. That was also the year she had a daughter. A daughter who looked remarkably like him and…

Gibbs nearly fainted. _It could be a coincidence!_ He told himself, leaning heavily against the wall. _There are plenty of people out there who look like me. Any one of them could be Taylor Cunnings' father. Not me. Definitely not me. Probably not me._ He leaned his head against the brick. "Oh Lord…" he whispered slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I am SUPER EXCITED about how well you guys responded to the first chapter =) I got 16 notifications (reviews, favorite story/story alerts, etc.) in ONE NIGHT! Ahhh that means SO much to me! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! =) And now without further ado…Enjoy =)

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><p>Gibbs spent the night in his basement working to clear his mind- and to craft a bench. He had a lot of decisions to make and a case to solve. He didn't have pleasures like taking his time or thinking things through. He hadn't come up with very many answers that night but he'd come up with an idea.<p>

Abby.

He didn't want to involver her but he really had no other choice. Of course he trusted Abby Sciuto more then anything but he still didn't want her involved. It was his own problems and struggles; she had nothing to do with it. But she was the only able person he trusted to run the tests for him. So he went to her the following morning and was waiting in her lab when she arrived at work.

"Geez, Gibbs. I'm good but I'm not _that_ good. I don't have anything for you yet. I haven't even turned on my babies yet." Abby said with a start. She removed her jacket and put on her lab coat, going around the room and carefully turning on each piece of priceless equipment that she considered family.

"I need a favor, Abbs." Gibbs said, holding out a giant cup of Caf-Pow! to her. She hesitantly took it front him and began slurping.

"Anything for you, Gibbs. Just as long as it's not illegal; then in which case we never had this conversation." Abby clarified.

"It's legal," Gibbs said as he walked to one of the fancy machines she used regularly. "Which one of these does DNA testing?" he asked.

"That would be me." Abby replied wearily. "Why?"

"What do you need? In order to run the test?"

"It depends what kind of test you need. Am I running a sample against another? Y-chrome testing; paternity testing. There are a lot of different tests, Gibbs. I need more information."

Gibbs took a sip from his coffee and looked Abby square in the eye as he said, "I need to know if one strand of DNA is related to another."

"So…paternity? Or familiar I suppose. Well I need two sets of DNA in order to do the tests and…" Abby kept talking but Gibbs's little patients with her grew thinner. He turned away and picked up a pin off the counter and pricked his finger. "What are you doing!"

"Here's one end of the DNA. I'll get the other to you by this afternoon." he replied, wiping his finger on a napkin and laying it on the table then walking away. Abby just stared at the doorway he'd exited. She'd never seen him act so strangely- and she'd seen some odd things happen to that man.

She gingerly picked up the tissue. There was enough blood for her to run the tests but she didn't want to. She wasn't sure what was going on and she didn't like being out of the loop. But it was for Gibbs, so she put the napkin in a plastic bag and set it aside for testing that afternoon when he brought her the other sample.

~!~!~!~

Gibbs took the steps to Taylor Cunning's townhouse/apartment two at a time then paused at the door. With his hand poised to knock, a voice spoke behind him. "Can I help you?" Gibbs swiveled to see none other then Taylor herself standing at the bottom of the steps. She was sweaty and wearing workout clothes with an iPod on her arm, the headphones dangling between her fingers. "Agent Gibbs, right?" she asked as she ascended the stairs and pulled out a key to open the door.

"Yes I had a few more questions for you." Gibbs replied. She opened the door and entered the home, showing him inside behind her. She went to the kitchen to get a water bottle for her and offered to get him something as well. But he declined.

"You mean you're here to ask the questions you meant to ask yesterday before you had a complete mental breakdown." she teased as she downed the water bottle and threw the empty bottle in the recycling bin. She smiled at Gibbs as he took a seat on the couch. "Mind if I clean up a bit first? I'll be able to focus more if I'm not smelling my workout the whole time we talk." she said then excused herself.

Gibbs looked around the house. She had it very well decorated with lots of colors and trinkets. Apparently she had a thing for owls because she had plenty of them sitting around and on the walls and pillows and blankets. She seemed to be very well off, especially for a student. Gibbs absently wondered how that was. Michael had loads of money but with the emancipation he figured Michael didn't give her much.

"Sorry about that. I run every morning but I still sweat like it's the first time my tennis shoes have touched pavement." Taylor said as she exited the bedroom in jeans and a long-sleeved blouse. Her socks had reindeer on them. She sat across from Gibbs and tucked her legs up under her. "So what happened to you yesterday? You turned whiter then snow; I would've sworn you saw a ghost or something."

Gibbs didn't reply as he looked around again. "Why did you emancipate yourself from your uncle?" Gibbs asked, changing the subject. Taylor made a face at him but answered his question anyway.

"Grounds of neglect," she said, quoting the emancipation forms. They stared at each other for a long minute. They each saw clear and mirrored stubbornness in the other's eyes.

"You said yesterday he was really into the drug ring. How did he win custody?" Gibbs asked.

"There was no one else. My mom immigrated from Ireland about a year before I was born so the only other person here was Michael. And all the family in Ireland wanted little to nothing to do with me. There was a grandmother there that was considering filling for custody but she was a thousand years old then so it would've been futile. Michael was all I had." Taylor replied.

"You don't sound too upset about his death?" Gibbs pointed out. And at that point, Taylor broke eye contact with him.

"I can't say I didn't see it coming. I've been preparing myself for the day a cop would show up and tell me he's dead for a long time. And to be completely honest with you agent Gibbs, I hadn't talked to him since I moved out. We were never close." she said. She absently spun the Claddagh ring on her right ring finger.

"How would you describe your uncle's personality?"

Taylor looked Gibbs right in the eye as she said, "Honestly? He was an asshole. He was interested in two things: Money and Drugs. If you weren't involved in one of those, then you were nothing to him. Every day I'd go to school, study my butt off and come home with near perfect grades. But that didn't matter to him one bit." The way Taylor said it made it clear that she wasn't complaining or fishing for pity. She'd come to terms with her childhood long ago.

"Suffice to say you took care of yourself your whole life?"

"That's one of the main reasons I won the emancipation case. I've been self-sufficient for as long as I can remember and the judge saw that." Taylor said. She got up then and went to a drawer in the kitchen. She came back with a few papers from the emancipation case. "He released any responsibility and from that day on we spoke maybe…three times? Maximum."

Gibbs studied the paper then set it on the coffee table. He didn't want to talk about it but he had to; so he sat forward and asked, "What can you tell me about your mother?"

The question confused Taylor but she answered anyway. "She was beautiful and smart. She wanted to know everything there was to know about everything. But she wasn't annoyingly intellectual like the kind of person that had a scientific reasoning for everything. She believed that there are things science can't explain, but that's where faith steps in. I guess I'm the same way."

"You remember a lot for someone who only knew her for six years." Gibbs pointed out.

Taylor smiled. "Ever heard of a thing called hyperthymesia? It's a condition wherein the effected person has a superior autobiographical memory. Essentially, I can remember everything from my childhood to the color shirt you were wearing yesterday. I remember my mother clearly that way." Taylor said. Gibbs had in fact heard of the syndrome but he'd never met anyone with it.

"So what's your earliest memory then?" Gibbs challenged lightheartedly. Taylor laughed.

"My mother singing Black Bird by the Beatles as a lullaby because that was her favorite song." Taylor replied. She held up the outside of her left wrist to show him the little flying black birds she had tattooed in commemoration. "I also remember the bedtime stories my mother used to tell me about a Marine who'd swept her off her feet. I suppose that was my Cinderella story." she laughed to herself but Gibbs gulped loudly.

"So I have two questions for you." Taylor said then, holding up her two fingers. Gibbs smiled. She certainly had a bold kind of spontaneity.

"Don't bring up yesterday." Gibbs warned and she smiled at him.

"Fine then I have one question for you." she clarified and he nodded. "If you're with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (I Googled you) why are you investigating Michael's death? He had nothing to do with the military."

"A favor for a friend." Gibbs said. "My boss was friends with Michael."

"The director of NCIS is friends with a druggie?" Taylor asked in astonishment.

"He's sure your uncle was clean and a good man." Gibbs said and Taylor scoffed.

"Your boss sounds like a very naïve man to me. It doesn't take much to figure out Michael is-er…was into illegal crap." she said then checked the clock and stood up. "Do you have anything else? Because I have something's to do today." she said and Gibbs stood up as well.

"No that's all. But can I use your bathroom before I go?" he asked and she showed him to the back of the house where they went through her bedroom to the bathroom. He went in as she walked back out to the living room to collect her supplies for class. In the bathroom, Gibbs opened drawers and cabinets until he came across a hairbrush. He pulled a few hairs from the prongs and left the room.

"We'll be in touch." he said as he exited the house. He drove straight back to NCIS to give Abby the DNA. He felt like such a spy getting DNA this way and doing secret testing. But he didn't know any other way to go about getting the answers he sought. He needed to know if his affair with Joanna Cunnings brought Taylor into this world. He needed to know whether or not Kelly was his only daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs arrived at the NCIS headquarters about a week after his last visit to Taylor's. The anticipation was killing him and when Abby called him that morning with the DNA results, it was all he could do to keep from passing out. He was almost sure Taylor was his child- it was that gut feeling- but he needed to be absolutely positive. He'd spent the whole week preparing himself mentally for the result either way it went. He would cope either way.

He went straight to Abby's lab and she closed the door behind him. "Who's DNA did you give me, Gibbs?" she asked seriously. It was uncommon for Abby to be this serious, but given the circumstances, Gibbs understood. He was, however, surprised she hadn't run it through the database out of curiosity. He should have known her courtesy was greater than her curiosity.

"What was the result?" Gibbs replied, not wanting her to know too much. It wasn't that he didn't love Abby or want her to know. He just wanted to keep this a secret a little while longer. At least until Taylor herself knew. That is, if it came back positive and she was Gibbs's daughter.

"Tell me who it is first." Abby challenged. Gibbs stared at her but she came back at him with an equally as unwavering glare of her own. "Please, Gibbs. You know I won't tell anyone. I just have to know."

Gibbs sighed. He'd never know if Abby didn't. The both of them could be so damn stubborn sometimes. Of course Abby had that puppy-dog look that could make even Gibbs crack. "Taylor Cunnings." he finally admitted.

Abby didn't say anything at first. He could tell she was holding back some kind of emotion as she walked to one of her machines and returned with a piece of paper. She handed it to Gibb's but he couldn't understand anything written down.

"I don't get it…" he grumbled as he studied the paper.

"I wanted to know who it was," Abby said, changing the subject. "Because I wanted to know the name of the lucky girl who gets to be your daughter." Gibbs looked up at her as she spoke the words. She smiled. "The tests are positive, Gibbs. She's your kid."

Gibbs's head was absolutely reeling. He couldn't even think of anything to say or do. He thought he had prepared himself for this already but when Abby confirmed his suspicions it was as if she was speaking a foreign language. He couldn't think of what to say to Taylor- how was he going to tell her? How would she react? Would she be upset? Suspicious (as he was)? Angry? Disappointed? Gibbs just didn't know. But something that was undeniable was the glimmer of joy he felt. He was…happy.

"So?" Abby asked excitedly. Gibbs looked at her curiously, not knowing what she was saying again. "When do I get to meet her? When I saw her photo I thought she looked familiar! Ziva said she has your eyes. I guess we know why…It must've been quite the shock when you saw her! Oh and when you saw her mom-"

"Abby," Gibbs cut in. "Thanks." was all he said. She smiled at him, thinking how cute it was that he was so speechless. Even for the famous Man-of-Few-Words, Gibbs was extra quiet and thoughtful. He kissed her cheek and left her lab without saying anything else.

He had some time to think in the elevator on the way up to the bullpen. He kept trying to come up with a way to tell Taylor but even when he got to the appropriate floor and the doors opened, he had nothing. The only thing he could think of was how little he had to give her. He worked too much to be a good parent. Not to mention his lack of affection. What on earth was she gaining from this news? He couldn't think of much.

It was undeniably weird facing his team with this knowledge in the back of his mind. But he put on his best game face and asked if they had anything new on the case. There had been little to no evidence to support Vance's theory that Michael was anything reasonably good. Taylor was being proved right time and time again and with every new piece of evidence, the case was looking more and more like a drug deal gone wrong.

"Possibly a suspect." Tony said, standing up. Gibbs was immediately intrigued. He kind of just wanted the case over with so he could focus on wrapping his mind around Taylor being his kid. "We were going over every paper trail Michael left." Tony continued, clicking up pictures on the flat screen. "And we found this. Turns out Michael's niece Taylor has taken quite a number of trips to the hospital over the years. Once when she was nine for burn on her arm. The story was that she leaned against the stove. But she was back at the hospital two years later with a broken ankle. That story was that she twisted it playing soccer. Believable stories, if it weren't for the random bruising elsewhere."

That's when Tony clicked up a photo of Taylor when she was about thirteen. The scratch on her leg was so deep it needed twelve stitches. But the alarming thing was the bruise on her arm and the distinct pattern in it. Tony pulled up a photo of the ring Michael was wearing when they found him and the match was irrefutable. Blood boiled in Gibbs's veins.

"Michael was abusing Taylor." Ziva concluded. "Which would explain the emancipation and the lack of remorse for his death. Who knows, maybe she got her revenge."

"Yeah boss maybe we should bring her in." McGee suggested but Gibb's was already gathering his phone and walked towards the elevator.

"Not yet," was all he said before disappearing.

~!~!~!~

Taylor grabbed her coat and headed out her front door Friday evening. The weather was dropping and she could see her breath in the air as she locked the front door and stuffed her keys into her pocket. She hadn't heard back from Gibbs or his team in a while but their M.E. called to offer her Michael's body. For all she knew, they solved the case. She thought for sure she'd hit-it-off with Gibbs and that he'd keep her in the loop. But that wasn't the case at all. She hadn't seen or heard from him since his last visit to her house. And it'd been almost a week.

She got into her Land Rover and revved the engine to life. She really didn't want to make Michael's funeral plans. But she was the only person left. So she made arrangements to send his body to Ireland where it belonged. There was a cousin of some sort there who wanted a proper funeral and service. More power to ya, she figured. She didn't need closure or a funeral to say goodbye to her uncle. She'd done that years ago when she left his house and never looked back. To her, he might as well have been dead the day she slammed the front door shut.

Hitting rush-hour traffic, Taylor was a bit late getting to the NCIS headquarters where she was going to meet with Doctor Mallard. She went through security and all that and got her guest badge. Someone pointed out the rout to take and so that's where she went. It was a bit difficult to navigate the orange painted hallways but eventually she came upon the morgue where Doctor Mallard kept his office.

"Doctor Mallard?" she asked as she entered. The man turned upon her entrance and smiled warmly at her. He was a nice looking older gentleman in a suit with a red bowtie and glasses. His smile was warm as he extended his hand to her and they shook. "I'm Taylor Cunnings. I'm supposed to sign a bunch of papers and whatnot."

"Ah yes of course." Doctor Mallard replied in his wonderful Scottish accent. He went back to his desk to retrieve a stack of papers. "I've highlighted each place in which you'll have to sign." As he talked, Doctor Mallard flipped through the pages, showing her the _many_ places in which her signature would have to go. She moaned.

"The amount of paperwork associated with death astounds me." Taylor mumbled as she took the stack of papers from him. He chuckled as she struggled under the weight. "Do you mind?" she asked, nodding to one of the examination tables. "I'd prefer to just get this over with."

"Of course not," Doctor Mallard replied, wheeling a stool over for her to sit on and handing her a pen from his lab coat pocket. "I assure you I clean these tables till they shine."

She smiled at him. "Good to know." She clicked the pen and scribbled her signature on the first line. There had to be over sixty forms and two or more signature lines on each. By the time Taylor hit the fifth page, her hand was cramping. Doctor Mallard was riddling her with a tale about people who couldn't even stand to look at his morgue without throwing up. She enjoyed his company very much; he made the task a lot less miserable for her. She laughed at his jokes as he animatedly talked to her while she absently signed each paper multiple times. Doctor Mallard was in the middle of telling her about a witness who entered his lab and the smell alone made her throw up and pass out at the same time.

"It was a mess even I was unwilling to clean up- and I'm no stranger to bodily fluids." Doctor Mallard told her as she laughed disgustedly. Just as Taylor was about to respond, the sliding doors to the morgue opened and Gibbs walked in. He was clearly startled at first as he saw Taylor sitting at an examination table.

"Ah, Gibbs. I'm sure you've met Taylor Cunnings." Doctor Mallard said and Gibbs nodded. "I was just telling of my many encounters with nausea." He and Taylor smiled at each other as she continued to sign papers. Gibbs looked over her shoulder at the papers in which she was signing. She was on the last paper and when she scribbled her signature for the last time she sighed heavily.

She clicked the pen and gathered the papers, handing them both over to Doctor Mallard. "Thank you so much Doctor Mallard." she said with a smile. "Your company made this a lot less miserable."

"Anytime my dear. And please, call me Ducky." he replied, kissing the top of her hand. She beamed at him, blushing a little as she exited. Gibbs followed her out and joined her in the elevator.

"Any news about the case?" she asked casually.

"Nothing good." Gibbs replied, looking straight ahead. When she didn't reply, he reached around her and hit the button to stop the elevator. The lights went off and the floodlights kicked in.

Taylor looked up at him in fearful wonderment and mumbled, "Can you do that?" but Gibbs didn't answer.

"Why do you hate your uncle so much?" he asked and her face went hard. "You hate him enough to not even want his body. Hell you don't even seem all that upset about his death."

"I don't know what your talking about." she lied terribly as she stared deadpan at the crack between the elevator doors.

"Now's your shot, princess. Come clean right here or else my team is going to bring you in and interrogate you. You're officially a suspect in a murder investigation. If you don't tell me what happened in that house years ago, then I can't help you."

Taylor looked up at him; the dilemma clear in her crystal colored eyes. It would be so much better to just tell him everything right then and there But then again, it would be hard. And maybe not the best decision to make. She couldn't read him just yet; she didn't know if she could trust him so wholly just yet. She made the rushed decision and pressed the elevator button.

"I didn't kill the bastard," she told him with a stern face. "So go ahead and question me. You won't be able to prove something that didn't happen."

Gibbs stared at her for a longer minute. He had to respect her for not taking the easy-route. But she was being difficult. And he couldn't help her if she wouldn't let him. So he'd have to find another way in. He hit the stop button again.

"We know." was all he said. Emotion finally crossed her face. First anger, then worry. She turned to look up at him. "Hospital reports."

She was quiet for a good minute before she finally swallowed. "Well that doesn't look good." she finally mumbled. But Gibbs could tell she still wasn't going to receive any kind of free-pass or help.

"Thought I'd let you know." he replied, reaching around her again and hitting the button. They were in the elevator only a moment longer before the doors opened.

"Thanks," she mumbled and walked straight into the bullpen. But Gibbs didn't follow. He waited until the doors closed again then he hit the emergency stop and slid to the elevator floor. His head fell to his hands as his mind began to whorl.

Where to even start? He had a daughter- a teenage daughter. She had his eyes, his stubbornness and she especially had his sense of independence. She'd gone through hell. But even now, she wouldn't accept a hand-out. It would get her into trouble, but she wasn't going to let anyone besides herself bail her out of this situation. And it honestly made Gibbs proud. Angry too, but proud nonetheless. The weight of the world fell on Gibbs's shoulders as he sat on the floor in the elevator. He stayed there for a few minutes.

No sense in sobbing, he told himself. With a grunt, he heaved himself upright, fixed his jacket, put on a stone face, and turned the elevator back on. He went right up for the bullpen again. As he headed in the direction of Vance's office, he saw Taylor talking to DiNozzo. They both watched him take the stairs two at a time. He had to look away or else he'd get lost in her all-too-familiar blue eyes.

He didn't knock; just burst through Director Vance's double doors. But Vance wasn't surprised at all. He stood, saying, "I hear you have a suspect in custody."

"Not exactly," Gibbs mumbled, gauging Vance's response. "We're talking to Taylor Cunnings, Michael's niece."

"Yes I remember her." Vance replied. "You think she killed her own uncle?"

"I said we're talking to her not that she killed anyone."

Vance came out from behind his desk and headed for his door then. "I want to talk to her. She'll remember me. I'll be able to get more out of her." he said confidently.

"You sure are pretty confident about that." Gibbs noted but Vance just kept walking. Eventually they were walking down the stares towards the bullpen. But DiNozzo and Taylor were already gone. Ziva stood and followed as Gibbs and Vance passed.

"Tony brought her to a room." she told Vance when he asked where Taylor was. "She came in willingly, said we would probably want to question her. She's been incredibly cooperative." Ziva said but he brushed off her comment.

Ziva and Gibbs followed Vance to the room where Taylor was waiting but he stopped them from joining him. He went in a closed the door, just as Tony came down the hallway with a cup of coffee. "Was that Vance?" he whispered to Ziva as Gibbs went to the room opposite Interrogation 1 so he could watch. Ziva nodded exaggeratedly and they both rushed in after Gibbs.

"Remember me?" Vance asked as he sat across from Taylor. She had her absolute best game-face on. Tony mentally noted how similar to Gibbs's it was.

"Of course," was all she said. "I'm just a little shocked you've made it this far up the ladder." She said it so deadpan that Gibbs wasn't sure if she was serious or being mean.

"I've made off well for myself. So have you," Vance replied, opening the folder on the steel table. "You have a nice apartment, a nice car, going to school. How does someone in your _position_ afford such things?"

"There's this thing called a job. You get it than you work for money. I can buy whatever I want with that money once its mine. I decided to buy a house with it."

"Not the car?"

"A leaving home present from your best buddy." she replied smoothly. Vance stared at her.

"Meaning you stole it." he guessed and she shrugged uncommitted. "And some extra cash too, I assume?"

"He knew," was her only reply. If he were a betting man, Gibbs would put his house up as wager saying Taylor only took enough to get her feet planted. She worked for everything else she had.

"You two didn't get along very well." Vance replied.

"Surprised you noticed. What with your head so high in the sky and all." She smiled cockily at Vance then. Ziva and Tony both looked to Gibbs butt he didn't say or do anything at all.

"You know what I noticed? I noticed you're pretty confident sitting there." Vance retorted.

"You can't arrest me for something I didn't do. You're not even supposed to be investigating Michael's death. You can't prove I did something that I didn't. I'm not worried." Taylor replied confidently.

"You know what else I noticed? You're not so worked up about his death. And you don't have an alibi. So that makes you a suspect." Vance told her but she was still relaxed against her chair. "Michael was a friend of mine. And I'm going to find out who killed him." Vance got up and went to leave.

But right before he left, she murmured, "You couldn't be more wrong about him." Vance turned back around to face her. "Michael wasn't who you think he was. You never saw anything but what you wanted. In reality, he was nothing but a thug."

"Remember how we met?" Vance asked, sitting back down. Taylor nodded but didn't elaborate any further. "I knew your uncle already but I hadn't even heard of you when we met."

Taylor just stared blankly at him. "Remember this?" he asked, sliding a photo to her. Gibbs strained to see it through the glass. Luckily Tony announced it was a pocket knife for his benefit. Taylor just stared at it. "You stole it from a convenient store I happened to be in when you were…what? Maybe 14."

"I remember it," was all Taylor said, sliding the photo away. She was really good at looking unconcerned. God, she even looked bored in there!

"How much do you want to bet that when I have our scientist test this, we're going to find out it's the murder weapon?" Vance asked and Taylor finally showed emotion. She looked over at him, a mix of emotions in her eyes.

"I didn't kill Michael." she demanded.

"Someone killed him and I intend on finding out. If that means I have to keep you here for a while, then that's what we're going to do." Vance said, and with that, he was gone.

Taylor stared through the glass window and Gibbs stared back. "Do we have a murder weapon, boss?" Tony asked quietly as he stared at the side of Gibbs's head. Gibbs just shook his head.

"Nope," he replied. But they needed to find one soon, or else his daughter was going down for murder.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: My aim is to update Mondays so I'll be adding new chapters to this story and any other's I have up hopefully every Monday. We'll see if I can stick to that haha. Enjoy :)

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><p>"We have to pick sides." Tony said dramatically and McGee rolled his eyes. "You saw how Gibbs reacted. Clearly its boss vs. boss here." Tony, McGee and Ziva had been discussing such subject for the past half-hour. They were working as well, of course, but the look on Gibbs's face was weighing heavily on each of them. This was personal. For him and Vance. And no one knew why except them.<p>

"I do not think she did it." Ziva announced and Tony grandly pointed to her.

"Proceed," he commanded and she sighed, standing up.

"She was nice when I talked to her. Sure, she is not too worked up about his death and with reasonable cause, but no one as peaceful as her could murder in cold blood like this." Ziva replied. McGee nodded, agreeing with her.

"Good people do bad things." Tony retorted and Ziva had to agree. They'd seen far too many seemingly good people do terrible things.

"I still say she did not do it." Ziva told him confidently. "If she was going to kill him, why would she follow him into the city and kill him in an ally when she could have just as easily killed him in his home? And she has not had contact with him since she left. What would make her kill him now? I say, if she really wanted him dead, she would have gotten rid of him years ago."

Just as Tony was about to reply, Gibbs came storming back into the bullpen and Tony shut up. He quickly sat back at his desk and resumed his work. Gibbs looked at them expectantly but none of them had any new news for their boss. They'd looked into phone records and bank accounts but there was nothing abnormal. Michael and Taylor hadn't had contact since she left his house years ago and she hadn't deposited or withdrawn a large sum of money from her account recently so she didn't hire anyone or steal from him. There was absolutely no connection between the two of them as of late.

"Tony," Gibbs shouted and Tony nearly jumped off his seat. "You're a cop. What do you think happened?" he asked. Tony stared at his boss for a minute before snapping into detective mode. He stood up and stared at a picture of Michael's body on the plasma. He thought back to his days working PD in Baltimore and Philly.

"Honestly, it just looks like a drug deal gone bad." Tony replied.

"Why?" Gibbs quizzed standing next to him.

"The wounds are shallow and there aren't too many of them- typical of a rush killing. There's no indication it was personal and his wallet and cell phone were missing. Evidence of drugs on and around the body but no drugs. He has a history in that part of town…" Tony let his sentence trail off. All the signs were there. It was so cut and dry. So why was Vance so sure Taylor had done it? Why was he so sure it was something it clearly wasn't?

"Prove it," Gibbs told him sternly, walking back to his desk. "Go back to the crime scene. Find who really did this. And take McGee." Gibbs instructed and both McGee and Tony grabbed their gear and headed towards the elevator. "Ziva you're with me."

Ziva quickly followed behind Gibbs as he headed back to the interrogation room where Taylor was still waiting. Gibbs barged in and Taylor sat up straighter. "Do you still have that knife?" he asked and one of her eyebrows rose.

"You believe me?" she wondered aloud but Gibbs didn't reply. "No I never even stole it. Your boss caught me so I ditched it."

Gibbs didn't even question her story he just nodded and said, "Good." He went to leave but Taylor stood up and asked him to stop. He turned towards her and Ziva did too.

"Thanks for believing me." she mumbled; almost too quiet to hear. "That's kind of a first for me. I don't get that a lot." She smiled real small and Gibbs returned the gesture. She sat back down and watched him leave, Ziva right behind him.

"You know her?" Ziva guessed as they headed to Abby's lab. Gibbs was quiet- even more so than normal. He didn't answer Ziva.

~!~!~!~

Tony and McGee found themselves at the house of a Martin Johnson, one of Michael Cunning's best friends. He was also a notorious drug dealer. "We're handling a case of our own." Martin told them as they stood in the threshold of Martin's house.

Tony expected no less. There may not be honor among thieves but there seemed to be some decency with drug dealers. "What can you tell us about Michael's niece Taylor?" Tony asked and Martin's demeanor changed notably.

"She okay?" was the first thing Martin asked and Tony nodded.

"Why do you ask?" Tony replied but Martin just shrugged. "What can you tell us about her childhood?"

"It wasn't exactly ideal, if that's what you're asking. This life…it aint for kids. She deserved some kind of childhood but nah, she didn't get one." Martin said, poignant. "She was a good kid though, I'll give her that. Kept quiet, didn't interrupt or stick her nose in our business. It didn't surprise nobody when she slipped out of Mikey's fingers."

"What do you mean?" McGee asked.

"He showed it in a real weird way, but he cared about her. Tried to keep her out of the life tried to keep her on the straight and narrow. But he had a drinking habit and I'm sure you already know how that turned out for her. It wasn't shocking when she separated herself from him a few years ago. Mikey didn't fight it neither cause he knew it was probably for the best, you know? They went their ways and didn't speak again." Martin told them.

"Seems like you're the one who cared about her." Tony speculated and Martin shrugged.

"Like I said, she was a good kid. Knew her since she was barely big enough to reach the sink. I felt bad for her but what the hell was I supposed to do?"

"When's the last time you spoke to Michael?"

"A few days before he was killed." was all Martin said. It was clear they weren't going to get anything from this guy. "We met. That's it."

"Come on here, Martin. Help us out." Tony pleaded convincingly. "If we don't catch the guy who did this, Taylor might just go down for this. You wouldn't want that nice kid to end up in jail for something she didn't do now would you?"

Martin thought hard for a long minute then sighed, leaning in closer to Tony. He mumbled, "Man you didn't hear it from me, but I heard Mikey and Krome we're having some trouble."

Tony blinked. "Krome got a last name?"

"Blankenship." Martin replied and Tony gave him a dirty look. "I'm telling you the truth man! She and Mikey had been going at it lately. Wouldn't surprise me if the bitch cut him. She's whack like that."

"They were sleeping together?" McGee clarified and Tony shot him a dirty look too.

"Yeah man, they was fu-"

"Thank you very much, Martin." Tony interjected. He was the one receiving the dirty look then. "We'll be in contact." Tony saw himself out of the house, with McGee closely behind.

"So it's either the niece or the girlfriend." McGee concluded as they headed back to the car. He pulled out his cell phone and pulled up a search for Krome Blankenship.

"My money is on the girlfriend- for more than one reason. One being her name is _Krome Blankenship_. And the other being there was no paper trail leading Michael to her." Tony said, starting the car.

"Here," McGee said, handing Tony his iPhone. "That's her address. Only a few blocks away."

"Good, maybe we can close this case before Gibbs blows it."

~!~!~!~

Gibbs entered the interrogation room Taylor was still waiting in a few hours later. She'd gotten hold of some paper and a pencil and was sketching when he entered. She shuffled the papers around and stood up. "Anything?" she asked, on edge still. She'd been waiting all day with nothing to do but stare at the glass two-way mirror (and now draw). She was beginning to go stir crazy. Her only visitor was only ever Gibbs or Ziva to bring her food.

Gibbs motioned for her to come with him so she gathered her papers, folded them and stuck them in her jacket pocket as she scurried out the door- not wasting any time. "Where are we going?" she asked as he led her down the hallway with a gentle hand on her back.

"I have someone I want to introduce you to." he said and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "She's going to help prove you didn't do this."

Taylor watched Gibbs carefully, unsure of how to interpret the man. He was such a complex man and she didn't understand him one bit. She was usually pretty reasonable at reading people, but Gibbs baffled her. There were times- like this one- when she thought they were establishing a relationship. Then there were other times when she thought he certainly didn't like her at all. But there was always gentleness in his hands and eyes when he looked at her or touched her. And so she took that as a good sign.

Gibbs led her to the elevator and down to Abby's lab where Taylor could hear music blaring. They entered before the lab tech could notice but when she turned, Taylor thought she might scream. "Taylor, this is our forensic tech Abby Sciuto. Abbs this it Taylor Cunnings." Gibbs introduces with a hit of pride in his voice.

Abby walked right up to Taylor and smothered her in a hug. Taylor chuckled as she awkwardly returned the gesture. "It is _so_ nice to meet you!" Abby exclaimed as she pulled away from Taylor. "It is _really_ great to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you! And of course I've seen your picture before and everything but that's so different from actually getting to see you. Cause now you're here in the flesh and-"

"Abby," Gibbs interjected but Taylor was smiling widely.

"It's really nice to meet you too." Taylor replied happily. She was very impressed with how welcoming and sweet Gibbs's team was. Though she hadn't gotten much time with Tony or McGee yet, Abby and Ducky were warm enough. Ziva was too. Vance was a sore tack though.

"Has Gibbs told you what we're doing yet?" Abby asked and Taylor shook her head. "Yay, than I can explain!" She skipped over to the side of the room where she had a dummy set up. "Stand right here," Abby instructed, pointing and positioning Taylor in front of the dummy. "How tall are you and how much do you weigh?" Abby asked even though she knew from Taylor's driver's license.

"Five five, 120ish last time I checked." Taylor replied. Abby jotted down the information then asked Taylor to hold her hand straight out. She did so and the tips of her fingers touched the dummy. Abby told her to drop her arm, take a step closer, and reach out again. "I feel stupid." Taylor said with a chuckle as she reached out again and her hand was flat against the dummy's abdomen. "What are we even doing?"

"Science is anything but stupid." Abby clarified and told her to drop her arm. "You don't have an alibi for the night- so we're making you one." Abby said but Taylor tilted her head to the side.

"Making me one? What does that mean?" she asked. Abby handed her a pocket knife and told her reach her hand out. "I can't, I'll stab your dummy." She chuckled.

"That's the point. Get really mad at the dummy and stab it." Abby instructed. Taylor chuckled but did as she was told. She stuck the knife into the dummy's abdomen and pulled it back out. She took a step back and held the knife facing down with her arm outstretched towards Gibbs so he could take it back.

"As cathartic as that was…why did I do it?" Taylor asked as she leaned against Abby's evidence table leisurely. Abby examined the wound Taylor had just made and pushed the dummy back so she could take a few pictures of the wound.

"Knife wounds have distinct characteristics." Abby replied, pulling the memory card from the camera and inserting it into her computer. She downloaded the files as she talked. "Everything from the angle of the wound to the tearing around the wound can point us towards a weapon and killer."

Taylor nodded, saying, "That makes sense. A shorter person would have a more upwards angle to his thrust rather then a taller person having to thrust down to stab someone shorter than them." she concluded and Abby nodded enthusiastic.

"Exactly. Like your stab wound," Abby pulled up a photo of the mark Taylor had just made in the dummy. "Has a clear upwards trajectory because you're shorter then your uncle. You can tell by the way the-"

"Does Michael's actual wound have the same thing?" Gibbs asked over Abby. She clicked her tongue at him but turned to pull up the photo of Michael's body. She compared the two photos side by side before overlapping the two.

"Nope," Abby announced. "Michael's wound has a straight path. Whoever killed him was his height."

Both Taylor and Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously. "Is it possible at all for me to have done it?" Taylor asked. "If I held the knife differently or stood a certain way. Is there any reasonable doubt here at all?"

"Well there _might _be a way for you to produce a different kind of wound track if you tried." Abby said skeptically. "The only way to tell though would be to demonstrate."

Without missing a beat, Gibbs snapped his pocket knife open and handed it back to Taylor. "Let's do it," Taylor said, smiling at Abby who returned the gesture with her own wide smile.

"I'll get a new dummy!" Abby said excitedly. "I'm going to need more caffeine to do this you know." she told Gibbs and he held up his hands innocently.

"I'm on it," he replied and smiled at her. He rushed out to get Abby her Caf-Pow, leaving Abby and Taylor in the lab to start their experiments.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Its way latter Monday night then I wanted to update but whatever lol This is a bit longer then normal so I hope you all like it! Enjoy! =)

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><p>Tony and McGee pulled up to the rundown and beaten up shack that Krome Blankenship called home. They got out of the car and headed up the broken and weed-infested walk way and knocked on the dilapidated door. There was a lot of noise on the other side before a woman opened. She had bleached blond hair and too much make-up and she was wearing jeans and a tank top with the bottom half ripped away. But underneath, she seemed like a pretty enough girl.<p>

"Yeah?" she asked, popping her hip to the side. Tony cleared his throat before introducing himself and McGee. "I don't talk to no cops." she replied curtly and tried to slam the door in their faces. But Tony stuck his foot out and stopped her from doing so. She glared at him like she was staring down the face of Satan.

"We just have a few questions about your boyfriend Michael Cunnings." McGee told her. She got a real surly look on her face when they brought up Michael. Tony thought to himself it's probably because she didn't want to think of the man she'd killed.

"_Ex_-boyfriend. He won't be hangin' around here no more." she said cockily.

"You two weren't getting along?" Tony asked and she scoffed.

"I'm used to guys walkin' all over me, but Michael was a new kind of low. Scum bag had one love and one love only and that was his drug ring. He didn't give a damn about nobody but himself! Serves him right gettin' killed like that." As Krome talked, Tony watched her mannerisms and only half listened to what she was saying.

"When's the last time you talked to Michael?" McGee asked.

"…few days ago…" she said uncommitted, her posture changing all together.

"Can't narrow it down more than that?" Tony asked and she shrugged.

"Shoot, I don't keep an itinerary. I saw him a few days ago, what else do you want from me?" she snapped and tried to slam the door again.

"Would a few days ago happen to be the day he died?" Tony asked just as she was slamming the door. She paused, the door half open.

"Yeah…so?"

"So that makes you the last person to see him alive." Tony said.

"And that also makes you a suspect." McGee added.

Krome looked panicked as she stood in the open doorway. "You can't prove nothin'…" she mumbled, looking back and forth between them with shifty eyes. Tony looked past her into the kitchen behind her and saw a shadowy figure moving about the house.

"So why don't you talk to us. Tell us what really happened. Who knows…maybe you'll cut a deal." Tony persuaded and watched the shadow move around faster behind her. Krome's eyes were big and anxious.

"I told you I don't talk to no cops!" she shouted. "Leave me alone! I didn't kill nobody!"

"Oh I know you didn't kill anyone, Krome." Tony replied smoothly. She paused, staring uncomprehendingly at him. "I think you're covering for the person who did kill Michael." That's when the shadow darted for the backdoor. In her panic, Krome didn't even notice McGee slipping around back. There was a loud ruckus around back and a minute later McGee came back around with a large man in shackles. "Him!" Tony shouted, pointing grandly at the man in the white-tee. "You're covering for him!"

"You can't prove nothing!" Krome shouted, leaping from the porch but Tony reached out and stopped her. McGee pushed the guilty party against the wall and checked his pockets. The back pocket (supposed to be a butt-pocket but really it was hanging so low it was more like a knee-pocket) contained a pocket knife which McGee withdrew and popped open.

"How much you wanna bet that's the murder weapon?" Tony asked in his showmen's tone. He was finding far too much pleasure in this whole thing. McGee inspected the knife carefully and smiled.

"I'd say that's blood." he said, holding out the weapon carefully. "And I'd also say that's Michael Cunning's blood, but I'll let our forensic tech figure that out. Until then, you're under arrest."

"Man had it coming!" White-Tee yelled as he thrashed against his restrains. "That bitch was cheatin' on me with that drug dealer scum. So I taught em' both a lesson!" McGee just ignored him and tossed him in the back of their car.

"You bastard!" Krome yelled. "Rot in hell son of a bitch!" Krome kept yelling until Tony literally flung her back into her home and slammed the door. He rolled his eyes dramatically as he fixed his suit and returned to the car.

"The dramatics are only fun for so long." he mused as he went to open the driver side door.

"Did we just prove Taylor's innocent?" McGee wondered aloud and Tony paused.

"Yeah, I guess we did." Tony said, but there was doubt in the back of his mind. "I don't think Vance will let it go that easily though."

"Yeah and neither will Gibbs." McGee added.

"But at least we got this guy to confess." Tony said but it still didn't feel like enough.

~!~!~!~

"Why do I feel like you're babysitting me?" Taylor asked Gibbs with a chuckle as they sat in Abby's lab waiting for her to finish her experiments. They'd been in the lab for almost two hours testing different manners for someone to stab another person taller than themselves. Taylor's wrist was even a little sore from sticking Gibbs's pocket knife into Abby's dummies. They'd tried nearly everything they could think of but it still wasn't lining up. Even the science was proving the theory that Taylor couldn't possibly be responsible.

"Well I sort of am." Gibbs replied, munching on a potato chip. Taylor slurped her Caf-Pow and watched Gibbs absently. She still couldn't put a pin to him but she was trying her hardest to read him. He was friendly enough- if very little to say- and he had a great smile. But there was something about him that Taylor thought was familiar. And it wasn't just the fact that when she looked at his eyes, she practically saw her own mirrored back at her- just with more age and experience behind them.

Taylor looked up then and looked him right in the eye. She put her drink aside and said, "I really need to thank you, Gibbs. You are one of the only people on this earth that ever believed me." she said sincerely. Gibbs just shrugged nonchalantly.

"You didn't do it," was all he said. She nodded but couldn't shake the emotions boiling in her chest.

"I'm sure you know by now exactly what happened between me and Michael. You know why I hate him so much." she mumbled. A look up at him confirmed this. She smiled pathetically. "It wasn't so bad, really. It was sporadic enough that no one ever noticed. The bruises are more like sore spots in my memory rather then dark ages."

Gibbs stared at her thinking about how strong she really was. It took a truly wonderful person to accept the life they were handed, turn it around, and make something great of it. She was so much like her mother that way. When Gibbs met Joanna Cunnings so many years ago, she had the same fire in her eyes as Taylor. She was young and ambitious and wanted nothing more than to make a difference in the world she lived in every day. That's part of the reason she started working as a nurse. When Gibbs first met Joanna she was saving the life of someone he'd fought a month to protect. She was vital to his case and so they'd spent much time together. She was beautiful and charming and so it was inevitable that Gibbs fell for her. His heart still hurt from the loss of his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly. But for a short while, Joanna made it okay. You could say Joanna was the first in Gibbs's string of wives. Though they obviously never married, it was Joanna that made Gibbs realize he didn't have to cope alone. That women could help- if only for a short while. He was careless and yes, even a little stupid. But they had a good affair before going their separate ways. He thought of her every now and again but eventually even those thoughts passed. When he heard of her death, it made him sad. But he didn't attend the funeral or shed a tear. It wasn't until Michael's death and the unearthing of the past that Gibbs even thought of Joanna again after her death. He hated to admit it- especially because the woman bore his child- but she meant little to him. What they had was cathartic and pleasant, but nothing more. He liked to think, though, that maybe she would've found him and told him about Taylor, had she been given time to prepare for her death.

"Abby told me you were a Marine…" Taylor mumbled, bringing Gibbs back to the present. He looked back at her questioning eyes and nodded. "My mom used to tell me a story every night before bed. She'd add a few extra scenes or lines every night- furthering the story until I was too old for it. It was about a Marine whom she'd once fallen in love with. Though the man was no longer a Marine, she told me he still acted like one. Cold and forcefully polite. But underneath, he was warm and kind and had a wonderful smile." Taylor told him.

They locked eyes for a minute and Gibbs knew she'd figured it out. He shouldn't have been surprised. She was too smart not to connect the dots. "He had beautiful blue eyes," she continued, staring into Gibbs's eyes. "That's something Mom never left out. The Marine my mother told me about was my version of Prince Charming. I always figured he was a fairy tale…" Taylor's sentence trailed off as she watched Gibbs carefully.

She knew. She figured it out. It wasn't that hard. The resemblance in both physical looks and personality. He fit her mother's description and the way he looked at her was undeniably paternal. Originally, Taylor brushed her suspicions aside, figuring she was imaging things. But they crept back up and she was almost positive. No one would straight up believe a desperate teenager. So why did he?

As Taylor looked at Gibbs- perhaps looking at the face of her father- she found hope in her heart. All the years she spent wondering who her father was without so much as a clue, made her suspicious. Probably someone worthless was always her thought. A drug dealer buddy of Michael's, a truck driver (because her mother was always traveling) anyone not worth the attention.

But here she was sitting across from Leroy Jethro Gibbs thinking he might be her father. And she couldn't think of anyone better. Truly, he was the best option her mind could conceive. Even as a child, she dreamt of what it would be like to meet the Marine from her mother's fairy tale. Who knew he'd turn out to be her father?

Of course she didn't have any proof yet but she had that hope and she had her suspicions. And she had the look in Gibbs's eyes in that moment. As she watched him carefully, she saw so many emotions there in his eerily-similar blue eyes. She couldn't identify every emotion but the ones that stood out to her were anticipation, admiration and love.

"Gibbs…" She mouthed the words, unable to raise her voice above a whisper. "Are you my-"

Just as Taylor was asking the trivial question, Gibbs's cell phone rang. Taylor nearly jumped out of her seat in fright- that's also when she realized she'd unintentionally been leaning in closer to Gibbs the whole time. He sighed heavily, reaching for the phone to answer it.

"What?" he snapped angrily to the person on the other end. Taylor listened carefully and could hear the man on the other end say something about a thug and a confession. Oh and a murder weapon.

Gibbs looked at Taylor with joy in his eyes. He snapped the phone shut and smiled, saying, "We got him. You're free to go."

~!~!~!~

Having spent the whole day at NCIS, Taylor got to know Gibbs's team a good bit. They all seemed like truly great people and she took special likings to Abby and Ducky but even being an outsider, she still got the feeling that they were all incredibly close and looked out for each other. Which was one of the reasons their loyalty to her was so baffling.

"I know so much more than you think, Tony." Taylor challenged as she sat on the edge of Gibbs's desk waiting for him. He was somewhere else in the building doing God knows what, and she had to wait (again) for him. She liked picking on Tony, that much she knew. He was an easy target- if you will.

"Oh yeah? And how's that?" Tony replied tauntingly.

"I'm observant. I pay attention; I read people." she said lazily in return.

"No one is that observant. Not even Gibbs."

"You have a reasonable sum of money in your possession but not because you make a lot- but because you don't spend very much of it. You hide behind immaturity and "funny little jokes" but under neither that you're a damn good cop. What I can't figure out is why you don't show it...perhaps...perhaps it's because you are afraid that if people really knew how good you are, then they'd start expecting more of you. And you're too afraid of letting them down. Because you're not as confident as you make yourself seem. You're actually easily rattled." Taylor replied, leaning over Tony's desk.

Tony blinked in disbelief. "...Lucky guess…" he mumbled grumpily.

"Take Ziva for instance," Taylor continued, turning and pointing to an eager Ziva behind her desk. "She intimidates you. But not because she could easily kill you. No, she intimidates you because she's _different_. Because you're used to girls who flirt all soft and dainty like- or don't flirt at all even. So when Ziva counters your quick remarks, it never ceases to rattle you a little. Because you don't quite know to respond- still! After all the years the two of you have worked so closely together, you still don't know how to respond to the sexual tension you share."

Ziva and Tony just stared blankly at Taylor as she smiled triumphantly. McGee chuckled and both Ziva and Tony snapped at him. Taylor was enjoying herself far too much for anyone's good.

"You're free to go, you know. So why don't you leave?" Tony asked curtly, typing angrily away. She came around to the other side of his desk, absently looking at his things with a smile.

"I'm waiting for Gibbs," she said, picking up his Mighty Mouse stapler before he could snatch it from her. She chuckled as he gripped the stapler and returned it to its rightful place on his desk. She could have a lot of fun with Tony DiNozzo. Hopefully she could see these people again some time soon. She would appreciate seeing them all. Well almost all of them. She could definitely do without seeing Vance again.

_Speak of the devil_, Taylor thought to herself as she watched Vance exit his office on the top floor. He waved to her, signaling for her to join him but she hesitated.

"That means you," Gibbs said, literally appearing out of nowhere behind her. Taylor jumped a little but quickly followed Gibbs up to Vance's office. Gibbs let himself in and Taylor scooted in closely behind him as the door slid shut silently. Vance sat behind his massive (and expensive looking) desk with his forearms leaning against it. Taylor and Gibbs stood in front of him, just waiting.

"I believe an apology is in order." Vance spoke a minute later.

"I don't want an apology." Taylor replied easily. And she really didn't. Apologizes didn't mean much to her. Everyone apologized. When you're constantly saying sorry, it looses its effect and meaning. And she'd heard Vance apologize too many times over the years.

Gibbs stared at Taylor as Vance sighed. "I wrongfully accused you and I'm just trying to make it right." Vance grumbled. Taylor just shrugged.

"Fine," she said, nonchalantly. "The debt is paid or whatever. You're forgiven." she said, but it didn't sound so sincere. Gibbs wondered what had happened between them years ago. "I'm not trying to be mean or rude," she clarified. "But I really don't want to spend another minute in this building today. I just want to go home, have a cup of tea and try and forget all of this happened. Can I just do that?"

Vance sighed again, standing. He reached across the table and shook her hand. "Yes you can. Have a nice day." he told her and she nodded, shaking her head. But as she was slipping back out the door he said, "I am sorry, Taylor." quietly.

Taylor didn't wait another minute to get out of the building. She waved a goodbye to Tony, McGee and Ziva and headed for the elevator. But Abby stopped her there. Taylor got another smothering hug which made her smile even if she thought that was impossible at the moment. "It was _so_ nice to meet you!" Abby sang as she hugged Taylor tight. "You have to come back and visit us! Or maybe we could have dinner sometime. You seem like a really smart kid, I'd love to-"

"Let the girl go home, Abbs." Gibbs said gently as he came up behind them and held the elevator door open. Abby let go and waved as the elevator doors closed after Taylor entered. It wasn't long though, before Gibbs stopped the elevator. "What exactly happened between you two?" he asked and Taylor knew what he was talking about.

"He didn't believe me." she said. "I tried telling him- because he was a fed and all- about what was happening with Michael. And he didn't believe me. Never did a thing about it."

Gibbs stared at Taylor in shock. He couldn't imagine anyone not stepping in- especially someone he knew. And he thought he knew Vance pretty well. Gibbs touched Taylor's shoulder lightly, unsure of what else to do. "Its not like I blame him," she continued. "I wouldn't exactly believe me either."

"Why not?" Gibbs asked curiously. Taylor chuckled but there wasn't any humor in her voice at all.

"Who's going to believe some weird kid claiming your friend is a monster? I wasn't a bad kid or anything- I rarely got in trouble- but I wasn't quiet either. Michael and I argued a lot and often times I'd throw a few good punches myself. So no one believed me when I said he did the same. Sure I had bruises and stuff but still…I wasn't too convincing I guess." Taylor told him.

And as strong as Gibbs thought she was, she'd never looked smaller than in that moment. As she looked up at him, sorrow in her eyes and biting her lower lip, all he could see was a broken little girl. Someone who had been through hard times and seen bad things. Someone who insisted on keeping her head held high, but was slowly beginning to doubt even herself. It was inevitable- the self-doubt and maybe even self-hate- but she seemed so much stronger than that. She seemed like she was coping better and handling it better than anyone he'd ever seen. But he got a glimpse behind the curtain. And all he saw was a scared little girl. _His little girl_. That was his child; his daughter. Even if he didn't know her too well and even if she didn't know him at all. When Gibbs saw the sorrow in Taylor's eyes, he wanted to make it go away. He didn't want her to hurt; didn't want her to have been through everything she had. He wished he'd known sooner. If only Joanna had left a will or something, telling Gibbs about Taylor when she died. He could've saved her from the terrible life she was forced to live for ten years. Granted, the life he would've given her wouldn't have been a fairy tale either, but it sure would've beaten what she'd been through. He'd give anything to have known earlier. But the truth of the matter was, he didn't know.

But he knew her now. So he hugged her. She was cautious at first but he just held onto her until she eventually melted into Gibbs's arms and let her head fall to his chest and her arms wrap around his waist. It felt good to be able to hold her like that. He'd been dying to ever since he got the paternity test results and especially since he learned what she'd been through.

When they pulled apart, Taylor swiped at the stray tear that had somehow traveled down her cheek without her permission. She chuckled lightly as she fixed her shirt and tried to make herself presentable again. Gibbs just smiled and started the elevator back up again. They didn't say anything else as Gibbs walked her to her car and closed the door behind her. But before she took off, she rolled down her window and said, "We should have diner sometime." with a smile.

Gibbs smiled back at her and just nodded. She added, "I'll call you." before she finally drove away. Gibbs watched her leave with a sigh. Funny how quickly everything changed for Gibbs.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I promised ya'll I would update Mondays and I've already broken my promise! =( lol I was away visiting family and their internet was down so I didn't get the chance to upload on Monday. HOWEVER, I'm updating today AND this upcoming Monday (2/20/12). So due to my lack of stick-to-itiveness, you get two chapters in a matter of days =) Take this as my sincere apology; Enjoy =) Take Care Then, Bye Bye Now

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><p>Four months later<p>

Taylor entered Gibbs's house and slammed the door behind her. She was reasonably dressed up and her hair was nicely curled. But she didn't have a place to go. Well, she _had _a place to go, but not anymore considering they gave up her table at the restaurant. She went straight for the basement and threw open the door, stomping down the steps. Gibbs was there working on some new project on his worktable. She couldn't tell what it was but he was crafting something out of wood. He looked up, saw her and how she was dressed, sighed and lowered his head.

"You forgot," she accused as she entered his man-cave. "I could see being a few minutes late, maybe even a half-hour. But two hours? To a diner date _you _set up!"

Gibbs set aside his tools and went to the workbench in the corner where he took a sip of brown alcohol in a mason jar. "I had a case." he said. But he still felt bad for forgetting- even if he wouldn't let that show.

"I know that your work means everything to you and that it's really important. But, Gibbs, your dedication to NCIS is what has you building…that- what is that?" she asked, pointing to the pile of wood on the table that made some kind of shape but she couldn't tell what. "You spend your days in that building," she continued. "And your nights in this basement. I respect your work and I understand you can't always keep every promise. But don't leave me sitting alone in a restaurant four two hours swearing up and down to the waitress that you were coming."

"I had a case," Gibbs said again and Taylor threw her hands in the air out of frustration.

"I know you had a case! But you could call. I know the phones at NCIS work so use them! Hell I wouldn't even care if you had Ziva or Tony call me- God, have Abby do it! Just give me a damn call before you make me feel like an idiot." she yelled, storming back up the stairs.

Gibbs set aside his glass and ran up the stairs behind her, taking them two at a time and catching her at the front door. "I'll make it up to you." he promised.

"Oh don't strain yourself." she snapped. But when she took a relaxing breath of cool Virginia air, she nodded in agreement. "You better."

But before Gibbs could say anything else, a shiver danced up his spine. A black Sedan rolled passed the house slowly; the back window rolling down. It seemed like slow-motion as the automatic weapon was hoisted through the window and started firing. Gibbs grabbed Taylor as roughly as he could and pushed her to the ground, covering her body with his. The bullets rang through the air, crashing into Gibbs's house piercingly. He stayed over Taylor, shielding her as best he could until the firing stopped. He reached his belt but didn't have his gun on him so when he stood up, the best he could do was memorize the license plate number while the car screeched away. He immediately turned back to Taylor to make sure she was okay. And once she stood up, showing she was fine (with the exception of a few bruises and cuts) he rushed into the house to call his team.

When he hung up, he grabbed his keys and wrapped his arm around Taylor. "C'mon, we're getting out of here." he said softly as he led her to his car. She was shaking in his arms as he opened the door and sat her down. He went around to the driver side and pulled away from the curb like a bat out of Haiti.

"Gibbs," Taylor whispered and he looked to her shocked face. "We were just shot at." she said but he didn't reply. "I've never been shot at before." she mumbled then paused. "I don't like it."

~!~!~!~

"Make sure to change that dressing every day to keep it clean." Ducky told Taylor as she sat on his examination table. She had a good gash on her shoulder from Gibbs slamming her against the porch when the bullets began to fly at them. Other than that and a few minor cuts and bruises, she was perfectly fine.

"How is she?" Gibbs asked then, coming into the room and standing next to his dear friend.

Ducky smiled at her. "She's fine; a little shaken, but nothing too bad." he said, winking at Taylor.

"I'm right here, you don't have to talk about me like I'm dead." she said, chuckling. "I'm not even that shaken anymore. It was just a bit shocking at first. I'll be fine."

Gibbs helped her off the table and put his jacket around her shoulders. "Thanks, Duck." he said as he walked Taylor back out of the morgue. They got to the elevator before Taylor started pounding him with questions.

"I don't know anything just yet, Taylor." Gibbs said, silencing her. "But I will. We'll get whoever did this. But until then I want you here where you'll be safe."

"You mean where you can keep an eye on me." Taylor accused, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"That's where you're safe." Gibbs replied easily. The elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped out just as Tony went rushing over to them.

"We collected ballistics from your house, boss and sent it all to Abby. She said she'll have results faster then fast. McMotherboard is working on the license plate numbers you gave us but so far no hits-" Tony said as they walked towards the bullpen.

"Got it, boss." McGee shouted, typing furiously away on his computer. "The license plate number was issued to a 2011 Chevy Impala registered under…" McGee said as he typed. A picture of the license plate appeared on the flat screen and eventually a photo ID did as well. "Andrew McCrey."

Gibbs sat Taylor behind his desk and motioned for Tony and McGee to follow him back to the elevator. Taylor sat back in the chair, watching the three of them rush off to find the Impala and Andrew McCrey. She just hopped this would all end sooner rather then later. She didn't like worrying about this kind of thing. She didn't like having her ears ring because shots were fired directly at her; or her shoulder aching because she had to dodge them. One thing was certain though; she'd never be cut out for the life of an NCIS agent.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Ziva asked, walking over to sit on the edge of Gibbs's desk. She smiled pleasantly at Taylor who returned the gesture as she rubbed her sore shoulder.

"I could really go for a good hot cup of tea right about now." Taylor replied; her mouth watering at the thought alone. Ziva agreed and held her hand out to help Taylor stand. They went to the break room where Ziva began to prepare two cups of tea for her and Taylor. They chatted easily as Ziva worked.

In the past few months, Taylor and Ziva had worked up a friendship of sorts. Taylor had been hanging around the NCIS building a lot- because that was the only way to ever see Gibbs. And though everyone was suspicious, no one gave her the cold shoulder at all. In fact, everyone was ridiculously friendly. Especially Abby! Taylor and Abby also had a nice friendship brewing. They'd gone to dinner more times then Taylor and Gibbs. Taylor really liked Gibbs's team at NCIS. They were all funny and nice and all very kind to her.

"How are you holding up?" Ziva asked, placing the two cups on a round table. They sat across from each other as they carefully sipped their hot tea. "Getting shot at for the first time certainly is not a nice thing."

"No it certainly is not." Taylor replied. "But I'm handling it a lot better then I thought I would. I guess that comes with growing up around a drug dealer. It's not the first gun pointed at me or first bullet I've seen fired. It was, however, the first time those two things went hand and hand. I don't like getting shot at. Not one bit."

"I would say you will get used to it but I really hope you do not." Ziva replied, smiling. Taylor chuckled, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Well looks like you guys are stuck with me till Gibbs figures this whole mess out." Taylor said with a chuckle and Ziva join her.

"We are glad to have you. I just wish it were under better circumstances."

~!~!~!~

Tony and McGee followed Gibbs up to the home of Andrew McCrey. A hand on his holster, Gibbs knocked on the front door then took a step back. It only took a minute before Andrew opened the door. "Can I help you?" he asked politely, looking between the three of them.

"Special Agent Gibbs, McGee and DiNozzo. NCIS." Gibbs said and the three of them held up their badges. Andrew looked at each of them, making a face, but shrugged; seeming impressed.

"Never heard of it. But thanks for coming anyway." he replied but when the three of them stared uncomprehendingly back at him, he cocked his head to the side. "You guys are here because my car got stolen right?"

McGee and Tony sighed in unison and Gibbs relaxed his hand. "When was your car stolen?" Gibbs asked.

"This morning straight off my street. I never lock it because this is a safe neighborhood. I didn't even realize it was gone until I went to get dinner for my family and it wasn't there." Andrew replied. That's all the information he could give them so they soon left Andrew's house. Gibbs didn't want to go back to NCIS empty handed but he needed to keep an eye on Taylor. So they got in the car and headed back to the office anyway.

In the backseat, McGee's phone buzzed and beeped wildly. "That was fast," he mumbled as he checked the info. "Boss, I put a BOLO out on the Impala and I already got a hit."

"Where!" Tony and Gibbs snapped at the same time. McGee almost chuckled at the similarity but he seized the moment to be serious.

"Two blocks from Taylor's apartment, boss." McGee said but before his sentence was even finished; Gibbs turned the car around and hit the gas pedal hard. Getting tossed around in the backseat, McGee still managed to read Gibbs the directions.

"Good work, McProbie." Tony said from the front seat- gripping his seat like he was about to die. Well…he very well could.

Gibbs pulled into the alleyway the abandoned Impala was sitting in and turned the car off. He was the first out of the car with his gun drawn. Of course they checked the car before holstering their guns again, but soon after, the three of them were scouring the car for clues. Every little piece of evidence- hell the car included- would be sent back to Abby in perfect condition. If they had any hope of solving this, they needed to be fast and efficient. And by God if that meant they'd break a few rules getting there then that's what they were going to do.

As McGee and Tony searched the car from top to bottom, Gibbs went back to his car to call Abby and tell her she'd be getting a big project soon. "I'm ready for the challenge." she promised him. Gibbs could hear something going on in the background and asked what it was- hearing giggling on the other end of the line. "Taylor got tired of hanging with Ziva so she's down here with me."

"Not affecting her work in anyway!" Taylor yelled in the background.

"We're reconstructing the crime scene." Abby informed him. He didn't want to admit it, but he loved it when Taylor came to NCIS. She got along so very well with the team but never stood in the way of their work. She and Abby seemed to get along exceptionally well and more often than not, he'd enter Abby's lab to talk to her about a case and find Taylor sitting on the table with a cup of Caf-Pow. She'd show up, ask for Gibbs and when he wasn't around she'd go down to Abby's or hang around the bullpen picking on Tony. It was nice having her fit in with the rest of Gibbs's family.

When Abby hung up with Gibbs she quickly went back to her work. The program she was using to reconstruct the outside of Gibbs's house was all animated and poor quality but she could make the little faceless people do absolutely anything- so it was handy. "Gibbs was a bit closer to the house." Taylor said by Abby's shoulder. So Abby made the appropriate adjustments and asked if that was better. "A little bit closer…there that's perfect." Taylor said as Abby worked.

"Wow," Abby mumbled. "This hyperthymesia thing really comes in handy."

"Yeah it can. But sometimes it's a curse. Like when all I want to do is forget the God awful sound of an automatic weapon firing at me…and I cannot." Taylor replied gloomily. "Mostly I love it though. In fact, I used to use it to hustle boys at card games when I was in grad school."

Abby laughed, gasping at the information. "That's so very illegal, Mrs. Cunnings. I'm shocked!"

"I know. I'm so cunning…" Taylor said then they took a moment to appreciate the pun before laughing. "I used to lay the deck on a table face up then turn them all over. I'd have a kid tell me which card to find then I'd find it. It was magic to them but its all logic. Memorizing the placement of the cards came easy to me; theatrically finding them was the fun part. I even pretended to be clairvoyant at one point."

"This is a whole other side of you that I've never seen before." Abby teased lightheartedly.

"Yeah…it's a side only a few people have seen." Taylor replied, smiling at Abby.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: As promised, I'm updating again! I just wanted to take a minute to thank you guys though. Seriously, your support and positive feedback means the world to me and I have no clue how best to put into words how excited I get when I see I've got new reviews or favorites or alerts etc. I get super excited when Monday rolls around because I know I get to give you guys another chapter and hopefully you'll like it! So I appreciate everyone who reads and likes my stories and I hope you'll continue to read them and like them =) Now on with the story! Enjoy! =)

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><p>Taylor slept on the futon in Abby's lab that night while everyone else worked to crack the case. Abby got the evidence from the car and the car itself early in the morning and started working straight away. Meanwhile, Gibbs was trying to compile a list of enemies that would want him dead. It was a horribly long. He was sitting in Abby's lab going over the list again when Taylor woke up. He heard her moan, try to sit up and crack her head against the desk loudly, then curse under her breath.<p>

"I don't know how Abby does that. I haven't slept that poorly in a long time." she said as she struggled upright. She went over to where Gibbs was sitting and snatched his coffee cup. She took a sip, made a face and spit it back into the cup. "God that's awful. This day is starting out terribly."

"C'mon upstairs, I'll get you a real breakfast." Gibbs promised. He tucked the list into his pocket and walked with Taylor under his arm over to the elevator and upstairs.

"I have to work today, Gibbs. How does that factor into your protection detail?" she asked as they waited in the elevator. "And before you ask, no I cannot call in and cancel. My boss hates me as it is and if I cancel last minute the job is gone for sure."

Gibbs sighed. "Take this with you." he said, handing her his butterfly knife. "And keep an eye on what's around you."

"Of course," Taylor replied easily. With a slight of hand, she flicked the knife open impressively. She flipped it back and forth, performing tricks with it just to show Gibbs she knew how to protect herself. "I was a weird kid, Gibbs. Of course I know how to use a butterfly knife." she teased and he smiled at her.

They went outside to the coffee cart Gibbs sometimes got his coffee from and he ordered her a cup- and a new one for himself- and got a few bagels. Seeing as it was ridiculously early, the bread was fresh and warm. It made Taylor smile.

"I work till twelve; you can come stalk my neighborhood anytime after that. But I can't keep sleeping at NCIS and bugging your team. Let them do their work and I'll go home." Taylor said as she happily sipped her coffee and ate a bagel. Gibbs gave her a look but she didn't reply.

"You could be in danger." he told her but she just kept eating. "You're safest here at NCIS." Still, she just kept eating. Finally Gibbs sighed. "Fine, you can go home." he allowed and she started smiling. "But promise me you'll keep your doors and windows locked at all times as well as your curtains closed. And keep that-"

"I'll watch my back. Quit worrying, you don't wear fear very well." she said then got serious. "One of the reasons I was so mad you missed our dinner, Gibbs, was because I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" he asked quizzically.

"About what we both know but never talked about." she said, looking directly up at him. "The fact that we have the same eyes and stubbornness and why you're hanging out with a girl you just met four months ago. Or how you know my mother."

Gibbs paused, looking back at her evenly. "This isn't exactly the place to talk about this." he said.

"It seems like the only chance we're gonna get, Gibbs. Every time I think we'll talk about it, you skip a dinner or get a call or say it's just not the right place. C'mon, we both know the truth here we just have to talk about it." she told him convincingly.

"I'm not avoiding talking about it if that's what you're assuming." he mumbled but she wasn't believing it. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you really my father?" she asked. It took him a minute but Gibbs finally nodded. Taylor didn't understand why it was so hard for Gibbs to admit these things; she already knew in her heart. "Okay so how did you know my mother?"

"Your mom was working as a nurse and she saved the life of a guy I'd fought a month to protect. I spent a lot of time at the hospital." he told her.

"You hooked up?" Taylor guessed. "That's why you don't like talking about it. Cause it was a short little fling and never meant anything."

"But it got me you, so it means something." he said, touching her cheek with the back of his hand. She smiled a little and leaned into his touch but for the most part she was sad. It was stupid to hope there was some romantic story, but she hopped nonetheless. "You okay?" he whispered, lowering his head to make eye contact with her.

She nodded saying, "Yeah, just a bit much to take in." They only had a minute more to talk about it before she had to leave for work so they made the most of it. There wasn't much more to talk about though so they finished their breakfast and he drove her back to her house. He gave her a kiss on the head before he watched her ascend the front stairs and unlock her door.

She changed out of yesterdays clothes and showered quickly before dressing for work. She made sure Gibbs's butterfly knife was with her when she locked up and left an hour later. Somehow (and she wasn't going to question it) Gibbs got her Land Rover back in front of her house by the time she left for work. She sighed as she inspected it and found a bullet hole in the back bumper. How had last night been so surreal? Either way she had to put it out of her mind- as well as the info she got from Gibbs- and work. So that's what she did. And that's what Gibbs did as well. From the moment he got back to NCIS.

Gibbs went straight to Abby's lab with a Caf-Pow. "What do you got, Abbs?" he asked, entering amidst the loud music. Abby was furiously typing away on her computer and so she turned towards him, smiling.

"A lot," she said, reaching for the Caf-Pow but Gibbs held it away with a familiar expression. "Right; info first, caffeine second." Gibbs smiled at her. "Unfortunately I can't tell you who these guys were shooting at- you or Taylor- but I can say they weren't kidding around. There were dozens of 45 casings in the car and at your house, Gibbs. These's guys used a fully automatic machine pistol." As she told Gibbs, Abby held up the gun as it was sitting on her steel table. "If you didn't have Marine reflexes, Gibbs, you and Taylor…" Abby couldn't finish her sentence.

"What did you get from the car?" Gibbs asked, changing the subject for both of their benefit.

"They thought to wipe down the door handles and the steering wheel. However they didn't clean the back of the review mirror and I got a print. I also got one lucky print from one of the shell casings in the backseat." Abby said proudly. She was running both of the prints for an ID but it would take some time.

She smiled at Gibbs and he handed her the drink, kissing her on the cheek and saying, "Good job, Abbs." before walking back out the door.

Abby took a grateful sip then remembered something. "Wait, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" she called, scurrying out to the hallway where Gibbs was just about to get into the elevator. He stopped and asked her what was wrong. "Where's Taylor?"

"She went to work, Abbs. What's wrong?" Gibbs replied, holding the elevator doors open.

"Gibbs! You two are in trouble. Someone tried to kill you both; you need to protect her. And yourself!" Abby complained; giving him her best puppy dog eyes. Gibbs sighed, kissing her temple.

"We'll be fine, Abbs. I promise." he told her then got into the elevator and hit the up button. Abby stayed where she was standing, just watching the elevator. She might be too much of a worry-wart but she was freaking out. Nothing could ever take Gibbs from her but that didn't mean she wasn't worried someone would try.

~!~!~!~

Taylor worked her ass of to work her way up the ladder at Lee's Little Store in town. She got the job when she was just 14 years old and by now she worked all the way up to a manager position. That was as high as she could get but it was a good position. She worked hard and was never late and the Lee family really liked her. The job meant so much to her; so much more than any other job she or anyone else could possibly have. She needed the job to keep her house and car. And the hours were perfect so she could still take night classes as she worked to get a business degree. Sure, her dream went far beyond owning a restaurant. She wanted to own a café and book store combined some day. Working at Lee's wasn't a step in that direction but it was giving her money for her hard work so she loved it.

Taylor got to work that morning and plastered on a smile for her co-workers sakes. She didn't tell anyone what happened or what had her very preoccupied. But nonetheless, she was very distracted. She went about the work day like a zombie trying not to think about everything she'd been through already. But she kept thinking about how weird her life had gotten. Just a few months ago she was living a semi normal life with not a lot of worries. Then Michael died and she met Gibbs and now she was being shot at. They weren't sure who the target was but Taylor couldn't help but not care. Either way, someone had tried to kill her and that didn't sit well with her. Whether they were shooting at Gibbs and nearly hit her or they were shooting at her while she was with Gibbs didn't matter. What mattered was she had nearly died just the night before and it made her think about a lot of things.

"Are you okay, Taylor?" one of Taylor's coworkers asked. Taylor turned and smiled at Cho Lee and nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine; just a little distracted." she said and Cho shrugged, not pushing her luck. They were working to restock some of the shelves when Taylor's phone began to ring. She pulled it out and answered, "I'm working, Gibbs." with a chuckle.

"I'm outside," Gibbs replied on the other end of the line. There would be no changing his mind so Taylor just agreed. "I'll drive you home." Gibbs said before they hung up. Just as Taylor was slipping the phone back into her pocket, a customer walked into the shop. Taylor asked Cho to handle it so she could keep up with what she was doing. But the man by the counter was acting weird so Taylor went with Cho anyway. It wasn't long before she caught on to what was really happening.

Two more men walked into the store and stood by the door. Taylor wrapped a hand around Cho's arm while she also grabbed the butterfly knife Gibbs had given her. The man by the counter reached into his jacket pocket and Taylor knew how this was going to happen. Everything went down in a minute but to Taylor it felt like hours. The first shot hit the bookcase by Taylor's head. She grabbed Cho and pushed her towards the back entrance while she dropped to the floor herself. The butterfly knife wouldn't do her much good when these men had guns.

Taylor took cover under the front counter and tried to crawl out the back door. She absently wondered why Cho wasn't trying to get the hell out of there while the front door opened. Taylor knew it was Gibbs as soon as he started yelling "NCIS!" and firing. She just covered her head and hid behind the counter, praying silently that it would all just end. She stayed there practically in the fetal position even after the last shot was fired. She was torn between the need to check if Gibbs was okay and staying low so she didn't die. But her body was completely frozen still so she couldn't have moved even if she wanted to. She had her eyes closed so she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder lightly. Gibbs's voice was there in her ear telling her it was okay. Her reaction was to immediately worm her way into his arms and smother her face in the crook of his neck; the hysterics working their way up her throat. He held her close, standing up with her in his arms. He shielded her face from the bodies on the floor and just guided her to the street. The police were just responding, as were the EMT's but Gibbs sat on the hood of a nearby car with Taylor under his arm until his team got there. He wouldn't let her go.


	8. Chapter 8

There was glass in every fold of Taylor's clothes and every time she moved a few pieces would fall from her hair. Gibbs insisted on getting her checked out by a doctor and she was too tired to put up too much of a fight. But she wasn't going to a hospital that's for sure. So she sat on the back bumper of the ambulance while an EMT made sure she wasn't injured; which she was not. She wasn't even panicking that badly. Anymore.

Everyone kept asking if she was okay and she kept saying yes but on the inside she couldn't think straight. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in her mind and turned her off. She felt like a robot on reboot except she hadn't restarted yet. Essentially she was on sleep mode as she watched Ducky hall body after body from the little store she used to work in.

Cho didn't make it.

She'd taken a bullet to the chest and was still alive when the ambulance arrived but she was no longer so when they got to the hospital. She was in root to Ducky's morgue already; in fact her body might beat him there. None of the other men made it out either. Gibbs took each of them down swiftly with three strategically placed bullets. He was bleeding from his left forearm so as soon as the team go there and Taylor had regained some form of composure, she demanded Ducky check it out. He needed a few stitches but Ducky applied some sort of surgical glue and slapped a bandage on it knowing Gibbs would never sit still long enough for him to formally treat it.

Taylor hadn't seen Gibbs much since the team arrived. They all hurried inside to secure the scene and collect evidence and whatnot- not before checking on her, of course. His priority was solving the case and keeping her safe so she didn't bother him. It was clear that, whoever it was, was after her and not Gibbs. That was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to wrap her mind around.

"Are you going to the hospital?" Tony asked, coming up beside her just as the EMT was finishing up. She looked up at him and smiled because he was holding a massive cup of delicious looking coffee out to her; which she grabbed and gratefully drank. The heat flowing down the back of her throat was so cathartic it was practically revitalizing.

She sat up a little straighter as she said, "No they are just about done with me here." He nodded solemnly and asked where she was headed to next. "Theoretically home, but Gibbs probably won't let me unless I have the full Marine Corps protecting me."

"We could send an agent home with you or you could come back to NCIS with us but you're probably right about Gibbs not wanting you to be alone. Whatever is going on here it's clear you're the target so we're gonna have a close eye on you." Tony replied honestly. He scooted onto the bumper next to her as she sipped at her deliciously therapeutic coffee.

Taylor arched her back and cracked her neck. "Anything would be better than being here any longer. Take a passenger on your way back to NCIS?" she said and he agreed, giving her a hand up from the ambulance. Tony cleared it with Gibbs quickly before grabbing Ziva and showing Taylor to his car. She enjoyed the banter Ziva and Tony exchanged in the front seat on the drive back to NCIS. She just kept wondering silently why the two of them hadn't slept together already. Or maybe they had.

Abby was waiting to pounce pretty much as soon as Taylor made it into the building. She smothered Taylor in a hug and rambled on and on about how worried she was. Then she started barraging Tony with questions about how the case was coming and who would do such a thing. Taylor just found a seat behind Gibbs's desk and finished the last of her coffee. Her foot hit something under his desk and she looked under to see what it was.

"Oh I found that in the trunk of your car." Abby said, coming over to where Taylor had the box on top of Gibbs's desk.

"Why were you going through my trunk?" Taylor asked then remembered a few stray shots had hit her Land Rover and Gibbs wanted Abby to check it out. "I got all of Michael's stuff when he died so I threw it in a storage unit and am working my way through it box by box."

"I didn't want anyone going through it- just in case it was personal- so I put it under Gibbs's desk with some of the stuff from the front seat. I hope you don't mind." Abby replied as Taylor popped open the lid. Taylor had a system to going through Michael's things. She would take two or three boxes out of storage every few days, go through them and whatever linked back to his drug trade she'd hand off to Martin and anything that she wanted to keep (which wasn't much) she took back to her apartment. She hadn't gotten a chance to go through this box yet.

"At least this gives me something to do while you guys are running around solving the case and I'm stuck here being a victim." Taylor said surprisingly blasé. The coffee really was doing wonders for her. She took the box with her to the conference room where she sat the box down and went to get another cup of coffee. Though the first was better, she finished that cup before she had her glasses on and read the first page she withdrew.

_It's gonna be a long day, _she thought to herself with a sigh_._

~!~!~!~

Gibbs took a step back and sighed. The store was completely upturned; as was the Lee family. And his life. His heart had completely stopped when he heard that first shot when he was outside. He hadn't even seen the men walk in. Before he even knew it, he was off running towards the shop with his gun drawn. He wanted to take at least one alive for questioning but when they started firing full blast at him he couldn't help but fire off only kill shots. Not to mention Taylor was in danger and that's the only thing he could think of. His heart just about stopped a second time when he found her cowering behind the counter. The oak was thick and the assailants only got a few shots into it so she wasn't hurt but she was shaking like an autumn leaf. And her reaction brought tears to even Gibbs's eyes. First she jumped, and then she buried her face in his chest. He'd forgotten how good it felt to have someone do that.

Honestly Gibbs didn't want to let her go after that. But there was a lot of work to do and she needed to be checked by a doctor; so he let her go but hadn't stopped thinking about how he'd nearly lost her. It was too much for Gibbs to even think about losing the little girl he'd just gotten the chance to know.

He'd sent most of his team back to NCIS but he stayed behind. This whole time he'd been trying to figure out who wanted him dead when he should have been wondering who wanted _her_ dead. She was a great kid, so who would have such an intense grudge against her? Or maybe it was something from her past creeping up on her? Gibbs just wanted it all to end. He didn't want his family in danger.

There wasn't much for Gibbs to do in the field by the end of the day so he stopped at a restaurant for takeout then headed to NCIS. He had a bag of food for Taylor but stopped in the bullpen for an update.

"We identified the bodies of the three men you shot, boss." McGee said as Gibbs entered the bullpen and dumped the bag of food on his desk. McGee clicked a photo onto the plasma and announced the subject to be Aodh (AWD, EE) Tobin- 29. Then he clicked up a different picture, this one of Ainbheartach (AN v'yeer takh) Shea-34. Then he finally clicked up a photo of Breasal (BRAS sal) Tierney-36.

"They each have strong ties to the Molony drug ring. We're still working on what exactly that is, but we know this is their emblem." Tony said, clicking three photos of Tobin, Shea and Tierney's matching tattoos. It was the Molony family crest, fancy and confusing to Gibbs.

"We are almost certain now that this must tie back to Michael and his drug dealing." Ziva asked, standing up from her desk and moving to stand next to Gibbs. "Maybe he dealt to them or double crossed them. It wouldn't be such a long shot to think she had some involvement."

Gibbs sighed heavily. He picked up the bag of food and said, "Find me something that'll end this. Now!" He promptly left the bullpen and headed to the conference room where Taylor was waiting.

She had somehow squished her entire body, legs and all, onto the little leather office chair and had papers strewn all over the table. There were coffee cups and crumbled up pieces of paper filling the waste basket as well as the floor. When Gibbs entered, she was working on a cup of coffee as well as a notebook. Through her glasses, her eyes were red and watery and her cheeks were tear stained. Gibbs tossed the bag of food on the table and knelt next to her chair, touching her cheek to wipe away the tears.

"Oh sorry," she mumbled, removing her glasses and wiping her eyes. She looked down at Gibbs, touched by the tenderness and concern in his crystal eyes. She sniffled and held up the notebook she had been reading. "It was my mother's," she informed him. "It was her journal all the way through her pregnancy and right after I was born. I didn't think it would affect me this much but…"

Gibbs's heart slowed a bit as he pulled over a chair and sat next to her, handing her a tissue. She wiped her eyes and took deep breaths until she was calm enough to keep talking. "You're in here you know." she said with a smile. "If I'd only known this little book existed, you would've had your hands full of me years ago." she teased but Gibbs thought the idea nothing but glorious.

"I wish I'd known you then. I wish I'd known you this whole time." Gibbs told her honestly, his hand on her cheek. "I bet you were a handful."

They smiled at each other. "You have no idea." she replied with a chuckle. "I used to get into and out of everything. Put me in a crib and I'd climb out; put me in a high-chair and I'd wiggle my way out before you got the food to me. I was an escape artist but of course, who could stay mad at these baby blues?"

Gibbs laughed. "A little ginger with blue eyes? Forget about it. I would've been sold."

"I would've had you wrapped around my little finger, Gibbs, believe you me. I kind of had that effect on people. Was Mom like that?" Taylor dared to ask. She looked at Gibbs with honest curiosity. "I know you didn't really know her too well or anything."

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah she was like that. A lot like that, actually. How else would she get a grumpy old guy like me to loosen up?" he replied with a chuckle.

"Ehh, I wasn't gonna say anything." Taylor teased with a smile. She grouped together the papers on the table and reached for the bag of food. "Good timing with the food; I was considering going down to the vending machine with Ziva."

Gibbs got serious. "Don't do that." he warned and she laughed. Taylor learned the hard way that Ziva taste in snacks is much like her Mossad training: Deadly.

Taylor took a grateful bite from her sandwich. She hadn't eaten anything other than an apple that morning and it was already dinner time. She originally had plans to hit the sandwich shop next to Lee's after her shift then head home. But after the place got shot up, her afternoon turned into a whirlwind of cops, statements, doctors and more cops. She hadn't realized just how starved she was until things had calmed down enough for her to hear her growling stomach. She nibbled on her fries, watching Gibbs as he unwrapped his sandwich and dumped his potato wedges on the wrapper. He poured nearly a whole packet of salt and pepper on them before eating them.

"I have class in two hours, how do we deal with that?" she asked, taking a sip of her Coke. "Or am I just dropping all of my responsibilities again tonight."

Gibbs chewed a massive bite of his sandwich and swallowed. "You want to take the chance?" he replied seriously. Taylor sighed dramatically, putting her sandwich aside and looking Gibbs in the eye.

"Be honest with me," she demanded and Gibbs put his sandwich down as well. "Am I going to die?"

Gibbs stared at her, looking her right in the eye. She was serious and worried and downright scared. She truly thought she might die and it just about killed Gibbs. He reached across the table to touch her hand. He held her hand and looked her in the eye as he said, "No, absolutely not. I promise." seriously.

"How can you promise something like that? We're outnumbered here and you can't watch me 24/7. We don't even know what they're after or what they-"

"Taylor," Gibbs interjected. "I swear I will not let anything happen to you. Not today, not ever." he said passionately, looking honestly into her eyes.

She believed him. She didn't know how he was going to keep his promise, but she knew he would. She trusted him wholeheartedly. She trusted him with her life.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I honestly can't even explain how much I love this story lol I think about it ALL the time! I'm at work thinking of new things to add, or at school writing when I should be taking notes. I want to drive my brother's Land Rover all the time now lol just because I feel like Taylor when I do teehee. And it makes me EVEN HAPPIER (if that's even possible) that you guys seem to really like it as well =) Thanks a million!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I'll be working on a movie in the upcoming weeks (we're filming Saturday for sure) so I may not have the right time to dedicate to this story. I have lines to memorize and rehearsals but I'm still going to try uploading again next Monday. Be patient with me, okay? I'll try my hardest but I may have to skip next week. Sorry!

Enjoy =)

* * *

><p>"It's all just so confusing." Tony complained, pacing the length of Abby's lab. He and Ziva had gone down to the lab to wait with Abby as she ran the prints from the car to the three men who had shot up Lee's Little Store. Ziva was leaning against Abby's computer counter, rubbing the headache growing at her temple. Tony hadn't shut up since they got back to NCIS with Taylor. Ziva was just inches from tackling him to the floor and putting a stop to it for good.<p>

"What is confusing, Tony?" Ziva asked exasperatedly. "Except your ability to talk for hours at a time."

"This case! Everything! I don't get what's going on!" Tony replied dramatically. "Why is a drug dealer trying to kill a teenager? And why is Gibbs spending so much time with her? And why isn't anyone else asking these questions!"

Ziva and Abby sighed at the same time. "It's actually really obvious, Tony." Abby said sympathetically. He gave her a quizzical yet offended look and she smiled benevolently at him. "For a detective, you're very unobservant."

Ziva stepped closer to him. "The eyes, Tony, it is the eyes." she said in her mysterious way and he kind of just stared at her.

"I noticed she has two of them yes…" he replied, still completely unaware of what they were trying to tell him. Ziva sighed exasperatedly, grabbing his face between her hands. He looked shocked for a minute but it wasn't because this was the first time Ziva had done such a thing. In fact, Tony thought she'd kiss him for just a second.

"Think hard, Tony. Who does she remind you of? Whose eyes does hers look like?" Ziva asked, staring at him expectantly.

It took Tony a long minute but finally he made a perfect O with his mouth as he breathed in, "Ohhhhhh!" knowingly. Ziva smiled, nodding at him. "Ohhhh!" he just said again.

"Yes, Tony." Ziva and Abby said at the same time. Ziva let go of his face but it kept the same shocked expression.

"Really!" Tony asked rhetorically. "I mean…Gibbs! Really?"

"Hey!" Abby snapped. "Gibbs is a good father." Ziva agreed, both of them slapping Tony on the back of the head at the same time. But Tony still couldn't believe his boss could have a daughter. It just didn't make sense to him. All the years he'd known Gibbs he'd never thought of him as that kind of person (though Tony didn't even know what _that kind of person _was). He just knew it wasn't Gibbs.

"But don't say anything okay, Tony?" Abby said quietly. "He hasn't told anyone other than me and he only told me because I ran the test for him. Which means he didn't technically even tell me since I already knew. He just told me who it was that he'd fathered. So I guess he told me something…but not everything. And he hasn't told you guys anything; so let's keep it that way. He'll tell you when he's ready." As Abby rambled, her computer started beeping. She turned to check it, clicking away on her keyboard.

"What is it, Abby?" Ziva asked, peering over Abby's shoulder as the results of the finger prints came back and Abby pulled them up on the plasma so they could all see. Just as she did so, Gibbs walked in asking if she had anything new for him. She smiled, still amazed by his mysterious ways even after all her years working with him.

"The print on the review mirror matched Aodh Tobin." she told him, still typing on her computer. "And the print from the shell casing in the backseat was a match to Breasal Tierney." She turned to face Gibbs, disappointed by the lack of Caf-Pow in his hand. "C'mon, Gibbs, you haven't forgotten about me have you!"

"Of course not, Abbs." he promised. "You'll get Caf-Pow when you give me something to work with." he compromised and she pouted. He patted her cheek with a smile then pointed to the plasma. "These two were in the car then? What about Ainbheartach Shea or Molony?" he asked, pointing to the pictures of Tobin and Tierney.

"I can only put Tobin and Tierney in the car; and since neither you or Taylor got a look into the car I can't even say if there was a third person in the car." Abby replied.

"I was preoccupied saving our lives." Gibbs retorted and Abby swiveled right around. She started apologizing profusely and demanding she hadn't meant for her words to sound so harsh but Gibbs just smiled and said, "I know, Abbs." teasingly. Then he turned to Ziva asking, "Do we know what Molony wants?"

"Not yet," she replied. "But Tony and I found their base camp. We can't get a warrant to search the place though; not until we have more evidence." They turned to look at Tony but he was just staring at Gibbs, trying desperately to picture the man with a child.

"Take a picture, DiNozzo, it'll last longer." Gibbs snapped and Tony jumped jolted back to reality.

"Sorry, boss. Won't happen again." Tony replied, looking so much like a puppy that Ziva chuckled at him. He shot her a dirty look and her smile widened. He grabbed the shoulder of her shirt and dragged her behind him as he marched out of the lab angrily. Abby and Gibbs could hear Ziva laughing until the elevator doors close behind them.

Gibbs turned around and saw Abby staring at him expectantly, her hand flat out waiting for her Caf-Pow. "I gave you something good, Gibbs!" she demanded as he shrugged and walked towards the door. "Gibbs!"

"Turn around, Abbs!" Gibbs called over his shoulder as he exited. Abby tilted her head to the side and turned around. She laughed as she saw a Caf-Pow waiting pleasantly on her desk in the attached room.

"How do you do it, Gibbs?" she asked, swiveling back around and seeing him smiling, standing in the elevator. He used sign language to say _you'll never know_. She laughed, going to retrieve her prize.

~!~!~!~

Taylor went back to the conference room and poured herself a cup of coffee. She dumped 3 packets of sugar and an immeasurable amount of creamer before taking a sip. It still seemed bitter to her. Coffee was an acquired taste; one she feared she'd have to acquire if she was going to be spending so much time with Gibbs. She pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. Sighing, she picked up her mother's journal. The more she read, the surer she was that her mother was a saint. Joanna often mentioned in her journal how much she loved being a nurse and helping others. Gibbs was a patient she wanted to help. But it was more than that for Joanna. Taylor flipped open the book and thumbed through the pages until she found Joanna's entry describing Gibbs.

_September, 1992_

_Gibbs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs. What a man! Intelligent, stubborn, beautiful and oh-so complicated. He could make your head spin with his eyes or his reasoning's; neither is rationally explainable. Oh his eyes. Silver and piercing. I swear he sees right through you and not just through false confidence or misleading words. He looks past you and your faults and right into your soul. And he can tell when you're lying. I'm sure that causes many problems for his personal life. I sure know I couldn't deal with it._

_I only spent a short time with the man but I've since never met anyone that measures up. He has this way about him that makes me want to get lost in his smile while at the same time it makes me worry. For him; for what he's been through- whatever that may be. I know he's been through something absolutely terrible; it's hidden cleverly but its still there. In the sometimes chilly way he looks at people or the way he smiles halfheartedly. I don't know what he went through and I have no right to ask; I just wish I knew what it was and how I could help him._

_Oh there I go again! I have a complex. I see someone in need and my heart breaks for them and I need to help them. I do this all the time and by God it's never gotten me anywhere. But I'm still doing it. I never learn. I hope my child is never like this. I pray he or she is kindhearted but not the kind of person who never does anything for themselves. Someone who knows when they need a change of pace or scenery and isn't afraid to take a leap of faith and do what's best for themselves despite any possible negative effects it might have on others. Gibbs is kind but I don't doubt how fearsome he can be. You don't get to be a Marine by being a push-over._

_Oh yeah, did I mention he was a Marine sniper? That scares me…and thrills me at the same time. It's that bad boy thing, I think. He could snap me like a twig but that's the part of the appeal. Those strong hands and long fingers…the strength in his arms and, well, his whole body. He's a building! Surely a force to be reckoned with. I would not want to piss the man off._

_Mental note: stay on Gibbs's good side-forever!_

Taylor leaned back in her chair with a smile. Her mother's words couldn't have been truer. Gibbs was a force to be reckoned with! But reading her mother's entry made Taylor question what was that "absolutely terrible" thing Joanna suspected happened to Gibbs. If she asked enough she was almost certain she could get him to crack but she didn't want to push him. If it truly was as horrible as her mother suspected, then Taylor truly didn't want to put unnecessary pressure on him.

She absently flipped through the pages of the journal; trying to decide whether or not she wanted to reread some of the passages. The book was black leather, thick and sturdy even if it was pretty worn out. The magnetic clasp on the front didn't always work properly and the seems were fraying pretty horribly- as was the ribbon bookmark. Taylor opened it to the beginning blank page. In Joanna's handwriting it said, _Joanna Beth Cunnings 1992 Journal_. But as Taylor examined the page with a smile she noticed a bump in the lining of the cover. It was small- almost unnoticeable- and square. She picked at the glued seem with her nail in the top corner and it came undone easily- like someone had re-glued it recently. She peeled back the protective sheet and underneath was a small slip of paper.

Taylor paused just one second before pulling the slip of paper out and examining it closely. The first two rows were numbers, followed by _Gate A _and three more numbers. Towards the bottom were the digits to Taylor's birthday- 4/10/92. None of it was every remotely familiar but then again, neither was the handwriting. It wasn't Joanna's, she knew that much. So she shuffled through the papers on the conference desk. She compared the handwriting on one of Michael's papers to the handwriting on the note.

"What the hell?" she mumbled under her breath. They matched perfectly. "Why would Michael write a note inside Mom's notebook?" she asked aloud, feeling the intensity of her insanity sink in her stomach. She was talking to herself out loud and finding weird letters in weird places. She was losing it.

Taylor folded the note, grabbed her mother's journal and practically ran down to Abby's lab. She burst into the lab just as Abby was tracking incoming and outgoing calls on the three dead guys' cell phones as well as Molony's. "Can you do me a favor, Abby?" Taylor asked and Abby agreed immediately. Taylor appreciated that more then she could express so she didn't try and just handed Abby the slip of paper she'd found. "I found this in my mother's journal and it's not hers."

Abby took the paper and examined it closely. "I can run the numbers and see what we get. I can even run the handwriting if you want too." Abby replied but Taylor shook her head.

"No I already know my uncle Michael wrote it- I have enough of his crap to know his handwriting well. The only reason I'm so interested is because I found it under the lining of my mother's journal." Taylor replied as Abby scanned each side of the double sided paper into her computer.

"Oh mysterious!" Abby said dramatically and Taylor smiled at her. "I wonder what it means!" Abby went on for a few more minutes until Taylor excused herself from the room with a chuckle. Taylor was about to head back upstairs to the bullpen when a sign for autopsy caught her eye. She cringed at the thought but suddenly her feet were carrying her in that very direction. She paused by the double doors before entering.

The room was murky and desolate despite each of Ducky's four autopsy tables had a body on it. Taylor walked slowly to the nearest and reached up to turn on the overhead lamp. She recoiled from the gaping hole in Cho's chest. Her eyes stung with the pending tears she didn't want to cry. Why? Why had this horrible thing happened? Taylor just needed someone to explain it to her because she didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend the immense amount of death surrounding her. Everyone around her seemed to be dropping like flies. The very idea of losing more of those she loved literally made her tremble as warm saltwater tears traveled down her cheeks.

She'd just met Gibbs four months ago, but the thought of losing him made her ache straight down to her core. Taylor stared at the lifeless body of a friend. _Oh Abby_. Abby was such a great person and Taylor considered her a friend. It would hurt Taylor so badly to lose Abby. Or Ziva. Or Ducky. Or Tony. Or McGee. The more Taylor thought about Team Gibbs and the new friends she'd made, she realized just how important these people had become to her. Most of them knew nothing about her relation to Gibbs but they'd become so significant to her; because they were so essential to Gibbs. Without even trying, Taylor and Gibbs had combined both of their worlds. She knew 80% of the NCIS agents in the building and Gibbs had become quite the conversation at Taylor's school when he'd come to pick her up or drop her off.

She hadn't even realized it before, but Taylor and Gibbs…they were a family. She had a family in him. Finally, after fourteen years, Taylor finally had a family again. She had people who cared about her and loved her and accepted her. She hadn't had that since her mother died; and now that she'd found it again…well it felt just plain old nice. Warm. And now it was in danger of being snatched from her as quickly as Cho's heart stopped pumping after a bullet pierced through her back and into her chest.

The doors to autopsy opened then and Taylor scrambled to wipe away the evidence of her emotions. Ducky walked in, shocked to see her standing under the single light. "Oh, Taylor. I didn't expect to see you here." Ducky exclaimed as he hung his coat and hat on the rack. Taylor turned to face him, still swiping at her eyes and plastering on a fake smile.

"Sorry, Ducky, I was just leaving." she replied in a hurry. She took a second to touch Cho's cheek lightly before rushing for the exit. But as the doors opened to her, Gibbs walked in and right into her. They bumped into each other and she stumbled backwards. He instinctively reached out and grabbed her, stabilizing her before she fell on her bum. First he questioned why she was in autopsy then saw her bloodshot eyes.

"Sorry, Gibbs, I was just leaving." she said quietly, not looking him in the eye. He could see how distressed she was but he wanted to help instead of letting her just walk away. But he stepped aside and watched her go anyway.

"She'll get through this." Ducky promised Gibbs with a hand on his shoulder.

"I just wish I could do more to help." Gibbs replied tiredly, rubbing his fist against his eyes. Ducky watched his dear friend careful and scrutinizing.

"Why does this mean so much to you, Jethro?" Ducky asked seriously and Gibbs looked up at him. Gibbs muttered "ah hell, duck." under his breath, so low that Ducky almost didn't hear him. But he just waited for an answer to his question. "Why is this girl so important to you? You've lost plenty of agents and friends. Why is this one any different?"

"Because it is, Duck, it's not like any other time. My agents, they know they are laying their life on the line. But Taylor...she didn't sign up for this! I dragged her into this and now...now I can't even protect her from it." Gibbs replied angrily. The two of them stood by the autopsy tables, just staring at each other for a long time.

"What aren't you telling me, Jethro?" Ducky asked apprehensively. It came out like a flood, Gibbs's words melting together as he told Ducky everything; starting in 1992 when he met Joanna Cunnings. "She's my kid, Duck." he said slowly then waited for Ducky to react.

Pause. "Oh Lord," Ducky mumbled. "Well this isn't any other time, is it?"

"No, its not. I'm responsible for her. I promised her- I swore to her- that I would keep her safe and I'll be damned if I go back on that promise now. I can't screw this one up, Duck." Gibbs replied, sounding more helpless then Ducky had heard him in a long time. Ducky went over to his desk to retrieve a bottle of alcohol and two glasses for the both of them. He sat them on the desk and poured.

"So that is what this is all really about." Ducky exclaimed and Gibbs turned with a quizzical expression and asked what he meant. "This has nothing to do with the case or even the fact that she's your child. This is about whether or not you're fit to be a father."

Gibbs just stared at him for a long minute, not comprehending whatsoever. "What are you talking about, Duck?" he asked, thoroughly bewildered.

"Sit, sit. Drink this." Ducky demanded, handing him a glass of alcohol. "You've been a father before, Gibbs, and that didn't turn out the way it should have. Now, you're scared of failing again. But Jethro, you did not fail the first time. And you will not fail again." Ducky promised him but Gibbs just sighed heavily and threw back the alcohol.

"I can't watch her all the time, Duck. How am I supposed to keep her safe without completely derailing her life and chaining her to a desk upstairs?" Gibbs asked seriously while looking up at his long time friend.

Ducky leaned in close to him. "You catch this bastard."

~!~!~!~

Gibbs found Taylor in the hallway upstairs with her face buried in her arm as she leaned against the wall. He stopped just behind her, worried about what to do next. "She was so young," Taylor mumbled almost unintelligibly into her arm. "And yet she lost her life, and for what? For something she had absolutely nothing to do with? Tell me how that's even remotely fair, Gibbs."

"Its not," Gibbs replied slowly.

"She was a good person too. She really was. She didn't deserve to die; especially not like this." Taylor finally lifted her head as tears streamed down her reddened cheeks. She looked miserable and on the verge of completely losing it. Gibbs wanted to help her in any way possible, so he laid a hand on her shoulder and pulled her chin up so she had to look him in the eye.

"We're gonna get this guy, okay?" he said sincerely. She just kind of collapsed into him after that. Her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around him, he offered her a kind of support she prayed to God she'd never lose. Maybe it was all the coffee she'd been drinking, but in that moment, Taylor didn't want to let go for her life. She wanted to just stay there hugging Gibbs; stay in the safety of this stranger's arms. Because honestly, she didn't know him. She couldn't understand him and she didn't think she ever would be able to. They'd just met; it had only been four months. And yet Taylor loved this man with her whole heart. Her father.

They pulled apart after a minute and Gibbs led her up to the bullpen with a hand on her back comfortingly. She expected him to sever all physical contact as soon as they were under the team's prying eyes. But instead, he kept a hand on her back and guided her to the center of the bullpen where he called Tony, Ziva and McGee to attention. Taylor looked up at Gibbs behind her, so confused by what he was doing.

"What's up, boss?" Tony asked, coming out from behind his desk and standing between McGee and Ziva in front of Taylor and Gibbs. The three members of Gibbs's team were confused and a tad worried as they watched Gibbs place his hands on Taylor's shoulder and smile at them.

"I want you all to formally meet Taylor." Gibbs said and they all just stared at him. His smile got larger, "My daughter."

That sure got a reaction from them. Taylor swiveled around to look up at him with what can only be described as pure bewilderment. She hadn't seen that coming whatsoever. After all, _she_ had been the one getting the warm and fuzzy feelings about family and losing loved ones, not Gibbs. So what had caused the outburst? Taylor didn't have a clue- and she doubted she ever would- so she let it go and smiled at the three special agents in front of her.

Ziva was the first to smile and hug Taylor. Then McGee followed suit and hugged her and smiled at Gibbs. But Tony was just kind of frozen solid, staring blankly at his boss. "Well hell, DiNozzo, if you're just going to stand there…" Gibbs mumbled and the rest of them chuckled. But it worked to snap Tony out of his trance.

"Umm…" He barely mouthed the words; his voice was so soft it even cracked. He cleared his throat as Ziva smiled and touched his shoulder encouragingly. "It's nice to meet you." he finally said, holding his hand out for her to shake. She smiled up at him and smacked his hand. Tony finally cracked a smile but he was still extremely shocked.

Gibbs looked around, savoring the moment before snapping; "Now back to work!" and the team scrambled back to their desks like puppies with their tails between their legs.


	10. Chapter 10

Taylor was just finding her way into the bullpen as Gibbs and his team were compiling information on Molony. "Molony?" she asked, stopping between Tony and Ziva's desks. "I had a cousin Dara Molony. He's only a few years older than me but the courts looked into his father for custody when my mom died."

"Then how did Michael win?" Gibbs asked, walking over to stand in front of her. Taylor looked up at him and shrugged.

"It was a match of two asses; eventually the court ended up choosing the closest relative. They were both in the drug game though. In fact, Dara is probably running his dad's business by now. He certainly was an ass when we were kids I'm sure he still is." Taylor replied. Ziva went to her computer and pulled up a recent photo of Molony to ask if Taylor recognized him to be her cousin.

"Yeah that's him," Taylor replied immediately. "I haven't seen him since I was six but his eyes have always been the same shade of pure evil." Gibbs chuckled under his breath. "What? He broke my Beatles record I mean who does that!" she asked, outraged.

"When's the last time you two talked?" Gibbs asked and Taylor just shrugged.

"Like I said, I haven't seen him since I was six. That was the last time we spoke too…no wait…I saw him a few months ago actually." she said suddenly. "I completely forgot about it. I ran into him at the bank a month of two after Michael died. I was trying to get my inheritance and whatnot cleared up- which, by the way, still hasn't been cleared- and we bumped into each other in line as I was leaving. We didn't say more then two words to each other though."

"Could he have heard you?" Tony asked, standing up. He stood close to Taylor and she noticed how tall he was. Maybe it had something to do with the training, but the men of NCIS seemed so large and towering to her. She would mess with any of them. Especially Ziva.

"You think he's after my inheritance?" Taylor asked quizzically.

"People kill for a lot less." he said nonchalantly. "If you're set to inherit a good deal of Michael's fortune then Molony might be jealous."

It made sense to Taylor. "Well there wasn't a will or anything so as of right now; I'm not set to inherit a dime. But Molony wouldn't know that. If he heard me at the bank he probably only heard me trying to access my inheritance not how much I stood to gain. Knowing Molony…the kind of money Michael had is more then enough to kill for." Taylor murmured. She peeked at Gibbs from the corner of her eye. The reality that someone- maybe her cousin- wanted her dead was surlier sinking into her gut and starting to really worry her. Gibbs swore up and down to protect her no matter what; but she just didn't know if that were possible. Of course she trusted him with her life, but she was beginning to think his efforts were futile. If Molony really wanted her dead, then he'd find a way. No matter what.

"Molony was having money issues." McGee said, clicking away on his computer. "He's practically broke. A chunk of Michael's money would do his bank account a good thing." McGee pulled up Molony's bank statements on the plasma and they echoed his statements. Foreclosures, bankruptcy, repossession; everything bad by law was happening to Molony and leaving his wallet pretty sore.

"Taylor!" Abby suddenly shouted, prancing into the bullpen. She handed Taylor back the letter she'd given her earlier. "The numbers on the top of the note you found are coordinates." Abby said. She moved McGee away from his desk and started typing. A map of Washington, D.C. appeared on the plasma then a red dot to where the coordinates led. "38.8969163 and -77.0064995 lead to Union Station."

Taylor stared at the map then down at the note. Union Station was the main train station in D.C. so why would Michael go there? "That explains why Gate A is written underneath the numbers." Taylor mumbled. By this point, the rest of the team wanted to know what the hell they were talking about. So Taylor explained while Abby ran the numbers 248 through all of Union Stations' databases.

"And you're sure Michael wrote it?" Gibbs asked, studying the note. Taylor just nodded. His handwriting was absurdly neat for drug dealer. In fact, his life was absurdly neat as well. He kept immaculate books and recorded every single interaction and exchange. Nothing went through his ring without him knowing it- and without it getting filled away. Of course Taylor couldn't appreciate the filing system considering she was a newbie going through it with no direction. But it was a system nonetheless. And that's a whole hell of a lot more than most drug dealers have.

"There's a train 248, there's a stand 248, there's a locker 248, there's a-" Abby began to say before Taylor cut her off.

"The locker," Taylor cut in. "The lockers at Union Station are by Gate A. He must have a locker reserved there. Locker 248."

Gibbs moved behind his desk to grab his gun and badge from his drawer then he snatched Taylor's jacket as well as his off the floor. "Get me a warrant. I want Molony in here talking to me. I don't care what for." he said to his team as he draped Taylor's coat over her shoulders.

"Where are you going, boss?" Tony asked as him and Ziva rushed to their desks. Getting a warrant wasn't going to be easy but they'd just have to find a way to make it work. By McGee's desk, Abby was still sitting typing away like she belonged there.

"To Union Station." Gibbs replied, pulling his arms through his jacket. Taylor followed closely behind him as they went to the elevator and down. "Stick close to me, okay?" he said seriously.

"You don't have to tell me twice." she replied, eyes wide. In fact, she honestly didn't want to leave his side. If someone was taking shots at her, she'd rather have him there.

"You just seem like the kind that would wonder off." Gibbs teased, winking at her. She smiled and just shrugged cheekily.

"It might've happened a time or two before. But not for something that wasn't worth it." Taylor told him, remembering the time she'd wondered away from her mother at the store when she was three. The entire store spent an hour looking for her, they almost sent out an amber alert, before she popped out from behind a sales desk having found a kitten she named Oscar but wasn't allowed to keep. The worst part wasn't the scolding she got, but rather having to leave Oscar behind.

They went down to the garage and got in Gibbs's car before they took off for Union Station.

"I have to run or work out of something." she mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "My legs think I'm dying. I've never gone this long without some kind of exercise."

Gibbs looked at her out of the corner of his eye and chuckled. Getting to know her better, Gibbs found out Taylor was a bit of an exercise freak. When other people ate or drowned their sorrows in alcohol; she hit the pavement and ran miles to calm her nerves. It was a release for her; she'd much rather drop and do fifty then have to sit and mull over her problems. She was practically fidgeting not getting to work out while all of this was happening. The most stressful time of her life and she couldn't even relax her own way.

"When this is all over, you can go back to your normal routine." Gibbs told her as he drove to Union Station.

Taylor sighed. "I'm starting to think it'll never end." she mumbled but Gibbs caught her. He went to tell her he'd handle it but she just held a hand up to stop him. "I know you're gonna fix it, Gibbs. It's just a lot to deal with for me. I'm not a fan of these kinds of situations."

Gibbs was sympathetic and didn't try to tell her otherwise. She flicked on the radio and they drove the rest of the way without saying much at all.

When they arrived at Union Station, however, Taylor took off at a million miles a second. She was nervous and agitated and just wanted it all to end. So when they entered the building she just started off in the direction of the lockers, walking faster than Gibbs had ever seen. He tried to tell her to slow down a bit but she wasn't having it. She just marched over to the lockers and counted the numbers until she found locker number 248.

But there was a lock on it and she didn't know the combination. She stared at it, frowning. "Do you know the code?" Gibbs asked and she shook her head, lost in thought. She dug in her pockets and withdrew the piece of paper she'd found.

The top was the coordinates, and then Gate A, then the locker number. The final thing written at the bottom of the paper was the digits to Taylor's birthday. She shrugged, thinking she'd at least give it a try. So she grabbed the lock and twisted the combination in, hearing it click. First a four; then a ten; then ninety-two. She waited with great anticipation and nearly jumped when it unlocked.

Looking at Gibbs out of the corner of her eye, Taylor gulped. Who knew what she'd find. But she opened the locker door anyway. There wasn't very much in the locker but she took out each object one by one. Keys- probably to his house and cars and probably a garage or warehouse. A book that Gibbs took and flipped through. It seemed like a client list and a How-To guide on how to run his business. And finally, Taylor withdrew a legal envelope. She opened it carefully and removed a stack of papers. Going over them, Taylor realized they were her inheritance papers.

"Gibbs," she mumbled under her breath, showing him the papers. "He left it all to me. Everything is under my name now." she breathed; nothing short of shell-shocked. Gibbs just blinked. The numbers were massive and with a hearty amount of zeros at the end. He'd left her all of his wealth; every last penny belonged to her.

Taylor and Gibbs exchanged a glance. "That explains why Molony is after you." Gibbs concluded, still pretty shocked from the amount of inheritance Taylor would receive. Taylor was absolutely reeling. All the years of hell he'd put her through and all that time she thought he hated her; and then he goes and leaves her all of his worldly possessions to her…? All she could think of was _why_? Just why?

Gibbs gathered all the items and went to talk to a worker to see when Michael reserved the locker and as much information he could get. Taylor waited close by, thumbing through the pages of Michael's leather-bound book. It was all there laid out simply for Taylor so she could keep track of everything. She could run his entire business with this book alone. It must've taken so much time and effort- and trust- to write it all down and hide it for Taylor to have when he died. She was still in disbelief.

"Okay," Gibbs said, coming back over to her a few minutes later. "Michael reserved the locker last year and paid to keep it for at least three years. We're the only people to visit it since he first got it."

Taylor looked up at him. "Gibbs, Michael left his entire business to me. It's all here in his book. He wanted me to run his operation in the chance of his death. That's why Molony is after me. With this locker I now have money and an entire drug ring." she said impishly. She was trying to be quiet, not wanting anyone to know. She felt suddenly…dirty. Holding the leather-bound book with drug deal info and customer/user info wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling. Sure she'd been around it most of her life, but that was different then being in charge. She didn't like being in charge. She didn't want to be a drug dealer!

"Taylor, look at me." Gibbs said seriously, both hands on her shoulders, his piercing blue eyes holding hers. "This doesn't change anything. His giving you his business but that doesn't mean you have to take it. Nothing is going to change because of this. You are still Taylor and you are not a drug dealer. We can give this book to Martin and just get your inheritance-"

"Martin!" Taylor cut in with a gasp. Gibbs paused, unsure of her outburst. "Why didn't I think of that earlier! Martin will know what to do!" Taylor said, suddenly a whole lot less freaked out about the situation. "We need to go talk to him, Gibbs, he can help. He knows this…this _world_ better then either of us. We're not drug dealers so we can't think like one. But Martin can."

Gibbs smiled, amused by her ability to switch from consumed by worried to completely at ease within a second. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked back to his car. "You worry me." he mumbled under his breath with a slight smile.

She looked up at him. "_I_ worry _you_?" she teased, smiling if just because he was. Gibbs had an infectious smile. Even when she was fumingly angry with the man, if he smiled at her she'd surely return the gesture. "It's hard to believe that little ol' me could worry Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"You more than worry me, Taylor Anne. You all but scare me." he said honestly but with a chuckle. Taylor wrapped her arm around Gibbs's waist and leaned into him as they walked. They smiled at each other; both simultaneously thinking how wonderful it felt to be together.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Ahh! I'm so behind on my writing! =( I'm usually so on top of this stuff but time is just flying away from me right now! I have a lot going on in my personal life but I promise I'm not dropping this story until it's done =) I actually wrote part of this chapter a while ago but decided to save it for the prime moment when Tony and Taylor could share a meaningful moment together =)

Enjoy! =)

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><p>It took some effort but Tony finally got Molony on a traffic violation and him and Ziva went to pick him up. It wouldn't stick and they wouldn't be able to hold him for very long but that just meant they'd have to get info faster than normal. He pulled the car over in front of Molony's inner city house and got out slowly; looking around. He exchanged a glance with Ziva. "Nice place, huh?" Tony joked but Ziva was surveying the land. In a matter of seconds, she calculated everything from potential targets to potential weapons and everything else necessary.<p>

"Charming," she replied as they walked up to the front of the beaten down house and knocked on the screen door. When Tony tapped the metal, it fell of its hinges. He just watched it fall to the bushes next to him.

"What!" came through the closed door; a woman's voice. Tony and Ziva exchanged another glance before Ziva introduced herself through the door. "Go away! Cops don't belong out here." the woman replied curtly.

"We just want to talk. Is Dara Molony home?" Ziva asked, leaning in close to the door to better hear. But all she heard was the woman behind the door pull the action on a shotgun. Ziva tackled Tony to the floor as the first shot hit the door, splintering the already cracked wood. Tony and Ziva both had their guns poised in a second but they struggled to get off each other.

"Get your asses off my property!" the woman screamed, firing again. Ziva motioned for Tony to go around the other side of the building where they found a backdoor. They had to be quiet and the door squeaked but they managed to get inside without the woman noticing. Ziva walked unnaturally silent as she approached the young woman from behind.

"Put the weapon down!" she yelled and the woman froze, shotgun still in hand. Tony caught up and held his gun at the woman, cornering her. "Put the gun down!"

"Okay, okay." the young girl said, slowly bending down and placing the shot gun on the floor and kicking it away before turning slowly around with her hands in the air.

"Where's Molony?" Tony asked, his gun still pointed at the girl who couldn't have been over 18. She was short and chubby with long brown hair and deep green eyes. She had a scar on her cheek in the shape of a crescent.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him in days." she replied, her hands still in the air. "He only comes by every few weeks."

"He has this listed as his residence." Ziva replied.

"Dara has a lot of residences but he mostly sleeps in his warehouse…please don't shoot me!" she pleaded. Ziva rolled her eyes and lowered her gun so Tony followed suit and holstered his Glock as well.

"Where's his warehouse?" Tony asked and the woman told him almost immediately. He was about to ask her another question when they heard a baby start to cry in the adjacent room. The woman just looked at him, her green eyes having seen too much.

"Thank you." Ziva said quietly, taking Tony's arm and walking out the broken, shattered front door while the young mother when to her child. Tony was quiet as they went back to the car and began the drive to Molony's warehouse. Ziva wanted to ask what was keeping him so occupied but her cell phone began to ring.

It was Gibbs so she answered with, "Gibbs, we got a location on Molony. Tony and I are about to go pick him up."

"Good. Taylor and I are heading back to NCIS. Ziva, do whatever you have to to bring him in. I want to talk to him." Gibbs replied. They talked business for a second more before hanging up. Finally Ziva glanced at Tony.

"What is wrong?" she asked, setting her cell phone on the dashboard and twisting in her seat to face him. "You have been unusually quiet lately. Normally you drive me absolutely insane with your incessant babbling and today- nothing! What is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me if I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of my boss having a child. Let alone a teenager…a pretty one at that." Tony replied flatly. Ziva stared at him.

"Why is this so hard for you?" she inquired. "It is not like you do not know the man. You know about Kelly; why is it so hard for you to see Gibbs as a father?"

Tony sighed. "Its not that I can't see him as a dad…cause I can." Tony said tightly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Ziva caught on; smiling a little as she patted Tony's cheek lightly. "Nothing is going to change, Tony. He is still Gibbs. Just because he has Taylor, does not mean he is going to start treating you- or any of us- any differently." Ziva told him sweetly.

Tony brushed it off with a fake smile. "Pshh. You think that's what I'm worried about! Change? Ha! I am not worried about _that_, Ziva." Tony retorted; hitting the A at the end of Ziva extra hard. She just nodded with a wink, letting him pretend for a minute that he wasn't worried Gibbs would stop being a father figure to him. But as they drove, Tony worried more and more that Taylor could change everything.

~!~!~!~

Taylor wanted to go talk to Martin as soon as possible, but with Molony coming into NCIS they needed to get back so Gibbs could interrogate him. So as they were driving in, Taylor got out her cell phone and dialed Martin's number. He was shocked to hear from her but willing to listen at the least. "We could really use your help." Taylor told him as she exited Gibbs's car and walked up to the elevator. "You know this stuff much better than we do."

Martin paused for a second then said, "Sure, I'll see what I can do. Why don't you come by in a little bit and I'll look over the stuff."

Taylor smiled. "Thanks a lot, Martin, this is a big help. I really appreciate it. I'll head over as soon as I can." Taylor replied then they hung up. She told Gibbs of her plan and he wasn't happy about it but he would let her go if she took an agent with her. "It's going to be kind of hard to get him to talk if there's a badge breathing down his neck."

"You're not going alone." Gibbs said seriously and she didn't question him. He'd kept her alive this long, she wasn't going to start doubting him. Did that mean she was looking forward to having an NCIS escort for a while? Hell no. But Gibbs was right; she was in danger and this was the best way to protect her. So be it.

By the time Taylor and Gibbs made it to the bullpen, Tony and Ziva were just getting back after dropping Molony off in interrogation. They filled each other in on what had happened while they were apart and Ziva offered to drive Taylor to Martin's place. But Tony stood up before she was done.

"I'll take you." he said and everyone got real quiet. Things between Taylor and DiNozzo were awkward ever since he found out she was Gibbs's daughter. He was uncomfortable around her and it was painfully obvious that he didn't know how to treat her or what to say to her.

"Sure…" Taylor mumbled, still a bit shocked. Gibbs just trudged off to interrogation to get the pinch on Molony. Tony gathered his things and motioned for her to follow him back to the garage. They were silent as they got in the car and the only time they talked was for Taylor to ask if they could stop off at her apartment.

"What for?" Tony asked as he drove in that direction.

"I just want to change and get a snack quickly. It won't take more than a minute." she promised and so Tony agreed. Taylor just watched him as he drove, studying him. She was trying to figure out why he was so awkward around her. "You don't like change?" she asked and Tony looked confused.

"What? I don't mind change." he replied defensively. "Change is a good thing. Change is a great thing. I don't mind change. That's not a problem." he ranted while Taylor just smiled at him.

"So it is change." It was a statement, not a question. "But there's something else going on, isn't there? There's some other reason you're uncomfortable around me." she continued, staring him down. Tony fidgeted under Taylor's scrupulous eye.

"What are you even talking about? I don't know what you're talking about." he snapped, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Is it…jealousy?" Taylor guessed then shook her head. "No, no that's not it. Is it…fear? _Oh_. That might be it. But what are you afraid of?" Taylor wondered aloud.

"Afraid of change?" Tony challenged, playing along, and Taylor laughed.

"Good one." she replied with a smile. They were just pulling up to her apartment so she let it go for a little while they got out of the car and walked up her stoop. She dug her keys from her pocket and opened the door as Tony followed behind her.

"Charming," Tony mumbled as he looked around the small galley apartment. He asked which direction to head for the bathroom and so she pointed back to her bedroom where the bathroom was to the right. He saluted then walked back where she pointed, talking the whole time.

Taylor picked up her mail and flipped through what was mostly bills. She tossed the junk mail in the trash and stacked the rest on the kitchen counter. Then she went to the cabinet and grabbed a glass to fill with water which she chugged until there was nothing but a drop left in the bottom. She returned the glass to the kitchen sink as she heard Tony flush and exit the bathroom.

She grabbed an apple out of the bowl on her dining room table and moseyed to the front window alcove. She went to open the shades but paused when she noticed a black SUV just behind Tony's car. Just as suddenly as the SUV pulled up, Tony appeared directly behind her, gun already drawn. Four men with weapons stepped out of the SUV and Taylor couldn't help but think, _it's happening again_.

"Come on," Tony whispered, a hand on the back of her arm. He started to pull her towards the back of her apartment where they could escape through the back door. The door squeaked loudly when they opened it but they made it to the backyard and took off for the fence. It was really high and Taylor was doubtful she could get over it, but she sure as hell was going to try. Tony tipped over a trashcan and she stepped onto him. He helped her over with difficulty then he jumped over just as bullets rang through the air. Taylor ducked, instantly covering her head. Tony dropped down next to her, hitting the ground with a thud. Taylor's ears popped as the sound of bullets hitting the fence made her dizzy. She helped Tony stand and they took off running again; this time, Taylor led the way.

"We can go around to the street!" she yelled at Tony as they ran in the direction she led them. In her head she planned out the rout they'd take to get out in public where hopefully no one would shoot at them. A bullet hit the tree right next to her but then they all stopped. The shooting ceased just as quickly as it had started. But Taylor kept running. She got them to the street where people lined the sides and she finally slowed.

"You know your way around here." Tony said gratefully. She chuckled breathlessly but doubled over. She could barely get breath through her lungs. "Running every morning doesn't help much when there are bullets chasing you, huh?"

"Shut up, DiNozzo. At least I'm not the one who has to call Gibbs to tell him about this." she replied; but as soon as the words left her lips she froze. One of the men from the SUV turned the corner and stood in front of them just yards away. "TONY!" she yelled, pushing him away as the gunmen raised his arm.

The bullet hit the poll right next to her head. As soon as the first shot rang out everyone in the vicinity vacated faster then she thought possible. It was chaos as Tony turned with his gun in the air. Two more men followed the first gunmen and shots rained down like hail. Taylor ducked into a doorway with Tony right next to her, covering her with his own body. He peeked around the doorway and shot three times then he pulled back. He did that until his clip was empty then they waited for the shooters to run out of bullets or approach them. He got at least one but a bullet nicked the corner of the brick behind them. They both flinched and Tony instinctively protected Taylor's head. Tony leaned down and pulled out a revolver from his bootstrap. "You know how to use this?" he yelled, holding it out to her.

"Well yeah but shouldn't you be the one using it?" she replied wearily. She took the gun anyway and checked the barrel and hit the safety.

"I am going to be your distraction." he replied and before she had a chance to protest Tony was off running. He ducked behind a car across the sidewalk and a shower of bullets followed him. Taylor yelled at him even though he couldn't hear and wasn't listening.

She turned her shoulders around the corner and shot twice. She had nine tries at this and she wanted to make each one worth it. Tony took off again, crossing the street as bullets followed him. So Taylor turned and fired off three more rounds at the gunmen. She listened and though she probably got one of them. Tony ducked behind another car as the one man left shot up the blue Volvo. Taylor checked the barrel of the gun. She had four more shots. Hopefully enough to keep her ass- and Tony's as well- safe. Tony stood up and Taylor turned and fired one after another after another until she heard a click and there were no more bullets to dispel. She swore under her breath just for the hell of it.

She turned back to shield herself behind the wall and the sight before her almost made her faint. They'd forgotten about the fourth gunmen who now stood in front of her with his gun aimed at Tony's back.

"TONY DOWN!" Taylor yelled but it was too late. The man fired and Tony fell to his knees. Taylor screamed so loudly she nearly broke her own eardrums. She hurled her body forward at the shooter with brute force she didn't know she possessed. The world around her seemed to slow and nearly stop as the only thing she saw was red.

She smacked into the man and knocked the gun from his grasp. She swung her right fist into his jaw, the pain she felt didn't even register. He stumbled backwards and so she kicked him, landing him on his back. Two strong arms came around her and restricted her as she kicked and fought against her attackers with everything she had in her. Those years of kickboxing was paying off- as was her slight obsession with MMA.

The man who shot Tony stood up, nursing his bloody nose. Taylor managed to struggle free of the arms around her by swinging her elbow into his stomach then slamming the back of her head into his nose. She could feel the crunch of cartilage as his nose broke. She took a few swings at the man in front of her as the man behind her fell backwards. She hit the shooter twice before she heard a gun fire and the shooter suddenly fell to his knees. She covered her ears and crouched over as another fire was shot and the shooter behind her also fell to the ground.

Taylor staid in the fetal position but flinched hard when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked and mumbled, "Martin!" in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked as he helped her stand up.

Martin just shrugged, saying, "A hunch. Are you okay?" with concern. Taylor cracked her neck but she was generally okay. But that's when she remembered Tony and ran to the street to help him. She fell to her knees as she started to hear sirens and ambulances.

With tears in her eyes, Taylor rolled Tony over onto his back where he started to cough uncontrollably. "Tony are you okay?" she asked, trying to find blood but coming up dry. Tony reached to unbutton his shirt so she pulled it apart- popping buttons. She heaved a sigh of mass relief when she saw the bullet proof vest he was wearing.

"You never know when you're gonna get shot at when hanging out with you." Tony mumbled and coughed. His back was killing him and his lungs hurt but other than that and a few scratches, he was okay.

Taylor smiled, helping him sit up before hugging his neck. Tony froze for a second then wrapped his arms around her in a full hug.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: I have about 2 or 3 more chapters in mind for this story. But there's also the possibility of a sequel sometime down the line ;) We'll see hehe.

P.S. Sorry I forgot to upload yesterday lol I kept thinking about it all day yesterday and Sunday but for some reason I didn't update...oh my mind scares me sometimes! ;)

Enjoy =)

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><p>Gibbs was losing it, as to be expected. But no one really expected Ziva to react as passionately as she had. She flipped when she heard what had happened and immediately left NCIS to help. She'd smothered both Tony and Taylor in warm hugs when she saw them. And she kept saying over and over how lucky they were to be alive. Taylor just stood back and watched her and Tony act like their relationship was purely platonic.<p>

Tony was checked by an EMT but his only injury was a bruised spine which would heal on its own with a little help from Tylenol. Taylor had a few bruises of her own but the only major injury she suffered was a broken right index finger. Gibbs was still freaking. He stood by her from the time he got there and hadn't left her since. Wherever Taylor went, she had a tall and capable shadow.

Taylor finished giving her statement to the police officers at the scene then sauntered over the crime scene tape and right up to Martin. "We need to talk." she said seriously. He was pretending to blend into the crowd, trying not to draw attention to himself. Considering his current career path, they left him out of the story.

"I might have a solution to your problem." he said softly, not looking directly at her.

"Tell me." she demanded. She just wanted this all to end. She'd do just about anything.

"Not here," Martin replied, reaching into his pocket to pull out a piece of paper. He slipped it into her palm. "Leave the fed behind." Then he disappeared into the crowd. Taylor looked down at the address on the paper. She was never going to convince Gibbs to let her go alone and sneaking out probably wasn't a good idea- it would just get everyone worried.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked, coming up behind her and making her jump. She turned to glare at him.

"I'm absolutely fine. Stop asking." she snapped but Gibbs wasn't backing down. He put his hand on the small of her back to lead her back to the crime scene.

"What do you remember?" he asked, positioning her on the street where the fight ended. She sighed, looking around before rattling off every detail about the events. She could recall everything with impressive crystal clarity. McGee muttered a comment about making their job easier as he scribbled every detail on his notebook.

"Why did you stop?" Ziva asked quizzically.

Taylor shrugged. "I just wanted to change and grab something to eat. We didn't think it was a big deal." she replied and Ziva nodded. Of course it didn't seem like a big deal. It was her _home_ for god sake. "How did they know where to find me?"

Gibbs looked at her seriously. "They've probably been following you for a while." he told her. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to comprehend that. It didn't sit right and she trembled at the thought of someone stalking her day in and day out. She had to look away from Gibbs's intense eyes. He could protect her body from harm but he couldn't protect her mind. She was shaken.

~!~!~!~

Gibbs entered interrogation one and slammed the door behind him. Dara Molony. _Walking scumbag_, Gibbs thought as he sat across from the young Irish boy. They stared each other down before Molony sat forward and asked why he was there. Gibbs didn't answer.

"I have a right to know what I'm being charged with, don't I?" Molony asked in his thick Irish accent. "Or are you even charging me with anything? Your cops picked me up on a traffic violation. You should know this won't stick. I'll be out of here by tonight."

Gibbs just stared at Molony. "I wouldn't count on that." he said seriously; his glare unwavering. Molony chuckled.

"You got nothing." Molony said cockily. Gibbs indolently flipped open the case file and withdrew Molony's call long for the past two weeks. He turned it around so Molony could read it.

"These circles red circles are calls you placed or received from these men…" Gibbs withdrew photos of the three men who had shot at Lee's Little Store, and then pictures of the four men sent to kill Taylor at her apartment just a few hours prior. "There's over a hundred here. I'd say that's something."

Molony studied the pictures thinking he should've used burner phones. "So what? I called them. That doesn't prove anything." he said; his bravado shaking.

Gibbs smiled lazily. "It's a start. From here I'm going to prove you sent these men after Taylor Cunnings, then I'm going to send you to jail for the rest of your pathetic life." Gibbs got up from his chair, collecting the call logs and case file and exiting the interrogation room. He went over to the viewing room, shocked to see Tony staring through the window. They'd given the detective pain-killers but he wasn't dopey like he should've been. In fact, he was incredibly focused.

"I thought I told you to go home." Gibbs mentioned as he entered the room. He motioned to the sound tech to leave and so the man did swiftly and without a word. Gibbs honestly couldn't even remember the man's name.

"Couldn't," was DiNozzo's only excuse. He stared intently at Molony through the glass. "What are we going to do with him?" he wondered aloud as Gibbs went to stand next to his favorite detective.

"Cut him loose but follow him." Gibbs replied. Tony peeked at his boss out of the corner of his eye. He would never even think of questioning Gibbs but it seemed a bit weird to drag the kid into NCIS then let him go like it was nothing. They both stared through the glass, neither really looking at Molony.

"Something wrong, DiNozzo?" Gibbs finally asked, turning to look at Tony. The agent was uncomfortable under his boss's intense securitization. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other; trying to think of something to say. Looking Gibbs in the eye, Tony struggled to find the right words. He felt like he should congratulate his boss for his new daughter but that sounded stupid to him. So he thought he'd ask how it was going; but that didn't seem like something Gibbs would want to talk about.

"Everything has changed." Tony finally whispered. It was the true thought on his mind but he hadn't intended to actually ask it. He quickly looked away and back through the window.

He saw Gibbs smile crookedly out of the corner of his eye. Then suddenly the back of Tony's head stung as he recognized the familiar feel of a Gibbs slap to the back of the head. "Not everything, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as Tony flinched. "Not everything." Gibbs patted Tony's cheek with a smile before exiting the room.

Tony watched him leave; a slow smile spreading over his cheeks.

~!~!~!~

Taylor looked around the bullpen suspiciously. Ziva was technically in charge of watching out for her but she was busy with some paperwork and McGee was on his computer. She took her opportunity and slowly made her way towards the elevator but Ziva stood up and asked where she was headed.

"I thought I'd...go down to Abby's lab. There's not much for me to do up here." she replied awkwardly. Ziva looked skeptical for a minute. "Don't worry, I'll be with Abby." Then Taylor dashed for the elevator. Ziva was about to protest but the doors closed around Taylor and cut her off. Taylor heaved a sigh before pushing the garage button. She had maybe 20 minutes before they realized she was gone. She could at least get to Martin's by that time. So she ran to her car and jumped in, starting it up and revving the engine. She all but squealed her tires on the way out and didn't look back.

She drove twice the speed limit and took the back way to avoid traffic and soon enough she pulled up to Martin's house and shut off the car. She started to have second thoughts but she went up to the door anyway. Martin answered and showed her in without a word.

"I don't have long. They are going to realize I'm missing any minute now." Taylor said in a rush as they stood in the foyer. She didn't take her jacket off or even put her keys down. She just wanted to get this over with. "What can you tell me about Molony?"

Martin sighed. "He's the one who's after you for sure?" Martin asked and she nodded. Martin ran a hand through his hair. "Well I guess that makes sense. That boy was born a horses ass and has been losing ground ever since."

"How do I get rid of him? I just want this to end." Taylor replied glumly. Gibbs and the team could take care of her but she didn't want them to have to. She just wanted to be safe again to be a normal teenager again.

Martin got serious; looking her directly in the eye. "You want nothing to do with Michael's business, no?" he asked and she shook her head hard.

"Absolutely not." she replied with determination.

"Then all we have to do is convince him of that. Once he knows you're not a threat, then me and the boys will handle the rest." Martin told her. She was skeptically but decided not to question it. She didn't want to know.

"How do we do that-" Taylor was in the middle of asking when her phone began to ring. It was Ziva. _That didn't take very long_, Taylor thought to herself. She silenced the phone and looked up to Martin for answers.

"You have to arrange a meeting with him. It's not going to be easy and it'll probably be really dangerous but that's the only option you have at this point. You have to give him that book and convince him you aren't a threat."

Taylor sighed. Just another thing Gibbs wouldn't agree to. How could she solve this without his consent or putting him in more danger? She couldn't get away from him as it was. "I'll find a way to make it work. But I have to get back to NCIS now. They're probably look everywhere for me and freaking out." Taylor made her way back over to the door where she exited, but not before turning to pat Martin's shoulder with a small smile. "You were always my favorite." she said then walked away to her car.

She decided to call Ziva to tell her where she was and that she'd be right back. That conversation didn't go too well. Ziva was practically having an aneurysm and yelled for her to get back immediately. Taylor just promised to drive quickly as she hung up the phone and drove above the speed limit on her way back to NCIS. But as she was doing so, her phone began to ring again and she flipped it open.

"I can't drive any faster, Ziva!" Taylor complained without checking the caller I.D.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Gibbs said, "We'll talk about why the hell you're not in the building later. For now I want you to go back to my place."

Taylor froze. That wasn't a conversations she wanted to have. "Why?" she asked, wanting nothing more than to get the mental image of an angry Gibbs out of her head. She'd taken the same vow as her mother and tried her hardest not to anger Gibbs. After all, the man could probably snap her like a twig.

"You need sleep and I need to clear my head. Meet me there." Gibbs replied lazily so she hit her turn signal and headed in the direction of Gibbs's house. She arrived before him so she locked the door behind her upon entering. Gibbs had gotten a new door up remarkably fast after the last one took a few bullets. He also got new windows quickly too, Taylor noted as she securely closed the blinds and curtains. She made sure everything was locked tight before going to the kitchen for a drink. There was nothing in the fridge but beer so she shrugged and grabbed one and headed down to the basement. The wooden object Gibbs was working on was large and mysterious to Taylor but she faintly recognized it as the couch he'd promised to make her after sitting on her (to quote Gibbs) "saggy rock" of a couch.

Taylor climbed onto the work bench and ran her hand over the smooth wood. Gibbs was a miracle worker with a hand tool. He could build just about anything beautifully- and sturdy. The couch on the work bench looked unbelievably durable. She'd have to fins some really soft cushions, pillows and blankets but at least it would never break.

She crawled onto the steady couch and laid down with her beer, taking slow sips. The stress of the situation was leaning heavily on her and it felt good to just lay down and let it all fall away. She felt so entirely safe at Gibbs's place it was remarkable. The last time she'd been there she'd nearly lost her life; yet she still felt safe there. Taylor suspected it was the smell. An intoxicating mix of sawdust and Old Spice with a dash of bourbon. To her, it just smelt safe. It smelt like Gibbs.


	13. Chapter 13

When Taylor woke up the next morning she was laying on Gibbs's couch upstairs covered in a blanket with a pillow under her head. Streams of orange shone through Gibbs's living room curtains as dawn broke outside. She stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, taking in her environment. She could see someone in the kitchen so she threw off the warm blanket and shuffled towards the sound of rattling plates. Gibbs was at the counter fixing two plates of food for them but it wasn't homemade. She didn't recognize the name of the diner he'd purchased the breakfast from but it smelt delicious.

"Morning," she said lazily; inhaling the scrumptious smell of fresh food. She kept forgetting to eat during the chaos so every time she came in contact with an edible object she all but devoured it.

Gibbs smiled at her, kissing the top of her head as he handed her a plate of bacon, eggs, has browns and toast as well as a glass of orange juice. "Morning," he replied. They sat at the table with their food before Taylor asked why he'd gone to such a wonderful extent. "We could both use a break."

Taylor smiled as she took a bite of eggs. They were perfect and soon she started shoveling them down greedily. Gibbs chuckled at her, mumbling for her to slow down but she didn't listen. She ate every last bite then Gibbs's hash browns when he conveniently couldn't eat them.

"Are you going into NCIS today?" she asked as she helped him clean up the dishes. It was nice to have a beat of calm normalcy after the whirlwind few days she'd had. The sleep, the food and the company were already doing wonders for her.

"Nope," Gibbs replied and Taylor froze. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? I thought you were getting close to catching Molony?" Taylor asked as Gibbs continued to clean up the little mess he'd made with breakfast.

"We are," was all Gibbs said in return. Taylor started to get frustrated but decided to let Gibbs crack first. They stared at each other for a long minute until she finally realized that probably wouldn't happen during her lifetime.

"What are you going to do all day than?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. Gibbs smiled a little at her.

"You didn't really think I was going to let you meet with Molony alone, did you?" he asked coyly and Taylor's jaw all but hit the floor.

"How did-but I…what the- wait…huh?" she spluttered, amazed. It sunk in then that she'd never truly understand Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He will forever be a mystery to those around him.

Gibbs just smiled. "This afternoon then?" he asked. It took her a minute but Taylor finally closed her jaw and nodded. She watched Gibbs walked out of the kitchen and down to the basement. A few minutes later she heard him start sanding. Taylor just stood there for a minute contemplating the wonder that was Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

~!~!~!~

Taylor soon found out they weren't going alone. The whole team was fully aware of her plans to meet with Molony. They helped set up the meet- place and time- and would provide backup and protection. Taylor wasn't keen on the idea of involving the whole team, but she couldn't deny how much safer she felt with them around. As they were getting to leave, Ziva leaned over and swore nothing bad would happen. Ziva's lazy smile and reassuring touch was enough to slow Taylor's heart rate considerably. But she was still nervous. Even with NCIS behind her, there were a million things that could go wrong. She didn't want to be responsible for anyone's death or injury.

By noon everything was setup and ready to go. The only place Molony would agree to meet was at a shipping bay. No one was happy about it but they could negotiate a relocation. Taylor was especially worried considering she'd never learned to swim. It was one of those things she'd meant to do years ago but never quite got up the nerve.

"You okay?" McGee asked as he helped attach a wire to Taylor's clothes. Gibbs wanted her in a bullet proof vest but they all new Molony would be able to tell and make her remove it. So instead of wearing a bullet proof vest, she wore Gibbs's dog tags around her neck. She knew they'd keep her safe.

Taylor smiled weakly at McGee. "I've had better days, McGee. But I'll let you know how I'm doing when we all make it out of this." she replied with a sharp intake of breath. Her broken finger throbbed as did most of her body. She felt like her mind was pulsing; she couldn't think straight. Fear was seeping from her pours. This isn't how she wanted to spend her week.

"Everything will be fine. You will see." Ziva said pleasantly, winking at Taylor. They shared a smile as Ziva checked her weapons. They were preparing for the worst but hoping for the best- a military philosophy then almost never seemed to fail.

"I hope you're right, Ziva, because I don't think I can take another week like this one. As it is I'm ready for a vacation. I'm thinking Hawaii." Taylor said, smiling truly for the first time in a while. She held onto that feeling and forced away the fear creeping into her gut.

_You'll be fine_, she chanted over and over again in her head while she clutched at Gibbs's dog tags desperately. _You'll be fine. Everything will be fine._

"Ready to go?" Gibbs asked, standing behind her. She looked up at him. There was worry in her eyes but it was hidden underneath a whole lot of determination; and because of that, Gibbs knew she was ready. This would end today. Now.

The team arrived at the location a half-hour early and took their positions. They were sporadically placed throughout the docs and shipping crates as to keep a visual at all times. Then Taylor's Land Rover pulled up. She was doing a good job of keeping calm under the circumstances and looked totally normal as she walked down the pier. An echo of visual confirmations rang through Gibbs's earpiece as Taylor walked into position. She counted the seconds until Molony arrived two minutes later.

A black SUV pulled up to the pier and Molony, accompanied by two men, stepped out. They slowly made their way to the front of the vehicle; Molony in front.

"I have to admit, cousin, I was shocked you wanted to meet." Molony spoke first, his hands clasped together in front of him. He was the picture of ease whereas the two men flanking him were more like pillars of stone. Angry stone pillars there to kill her if she stepped out of line in anyway. She gulped.

"You didn't exactly leave me another choice." Taylor said; her voice sounded so much softer than she'd intended. Her soft little voice spoke volumes to the situation. She was just a kid; a helpless little girl trapped in this violent game.

"Oh come on now, Taylor. You make me sound like a bad guy." Molony replied grandly.

"You're not?" Taylor retorted sarcastically. Molony shook his head.

"No, little cousin. I'm certainly no bad guy. I'm just protecting what belongs to me."

Taylor paused. "Michael's money and business doesn't belong to you, Molony."

Molony chuckled darkly. The lack of humor in his voice was chilling. "Oh but it is. Or at least it was supposed to be. See before you came around, Michael was going to hand the business down to me. He was prepping me to lead his business. Of course, it was all a secret though. My father would have killed us both if he'd found out." Molony explained. "Michael didn't think he could trust anyone other than Martin. So he took me under his wing and taught me a little something about running a business. And then you came along! And you were stubborn and smart and exactly like Michael. You were the clear choice from the beginning." Molony stared her down as he said, "Then you ran off and emancipated yourself. I thought the business was mine again, I even told my father! He threw me out of our house- nearly killed me! But it didn't matter because I _knew_ Michael wouldn't pick you after you ran away."

Taylor swallowed hard. Molony's eyes went black. "You desecrated your family name," he continued viciously. "And you were _still _the favorite. He still picked you! He even said your determination to get out was what sealed the deal. Michael knew you were ready when you stood up for yourself and got out of that house."

Taylor blinked. Had it really all been a test? All the hell she'd been through was Michael's way of testing her? He wanted to see how she'd withstand the torture. Michael wanted to know if she'd stand up for herself or fall to him. She'd proven herself to him by getting the hell away from him.

"I lost _everything_!" Molony shouted, pulling Taylor back to reality. "And you got everything. _You_ left _me_ no choice! My own father wouldn't even take me back!"

"But your father gave you his business." Taylor said; her voice still mouse-like.

Molony laughed once more, still no humor in his voice at all. "Only because he died."

The way Molony said it….Taylor had no doubt at all that Dara had killed his father.

"You want it all?" Taylor asked. "Because you can have it. I don't want it. I never wanted this life. If you want Michael's business then take it." Taylor held out the leather-bound book from Michael's locker at the train station. It was Michael's business in a nutshell and she had no problem at all handing it over to Molony. This drug war didn't need to involve her. She was stepping out.

"You're giving it to me?" Molony asked, taking a step closer to her. She resisted the urge to take a step backwards. The team tensed, ready to take him down.

"Yes," was all Taylor could get through her lips. She held the book out as far as she could as Molony advanced towards her. He got close enough and reached out to retrieve the book. She let it fall out of her fingers and into his.

He smiled at her and for a second she let herself believe it was truly over. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gun. Taylor tried to turn away but he grabbed her and positioned him in front of his body.

"Ziva!" Gibbs shouted but unfortunately his sharpshooter had to inform him she didn't have a clear shot. No one did. In two seconds, Molony sufficiently moved out of the line of fire and Taylor into it.

"Come out come out where ever you are!" Molony shouted. "I know you're hiding NCIS! Show your faces!" He shouted but silence replied.

Taylor clenched Gibbs's dog tags in her palm, chanting over and over, _Everything will be fine_. But this time she didn't believe it. She prayed Gibbs wouldn't listen to the psycho holding her hostage but she knew he'd come out. She knew he was too loyal to let it go down like this.

So she wasn't all that surprised when Gibbs walked out with his arms in the air. Molony chuckled darkly behind her and she flinched; grasping the dog tags even tighter.

"Nice to see you again, Agent Gibbs." Molony greeted, tightening his grip on Taylor. On the radio, the team communicated with each other. No one was going to compromise Taylor and take the shot. So they moved stealthily to try and get a better view.

"Can't say the same." Gibbs replied curtly. The two men that had accompanied Molony pulled their weapons and pointed them directly at Gibbs. But he was cool under the pressure.

"You really shouldn't have come." Molony said and so Gibbs asked why not. "Because I don't want to have to kill you too. I mean, I will. But I don't want to. Taylor I'm going to take out either way- but you don't have to die here today."

"I gave you the book, what more do you want!" Taylor asked; her voice still soft but this time it shook with the fear trembling through her.

"Revenge," Molony seethed in her ear. "You are going to pay for what you did to me."

"I didn't make you kill your father! I didn't make Michael chose me! This isn't my fault, Molony, and if you had any sense at all you'd see that!" Taylor screamed at him, struggling against his arms.

"Shut up! Shut! Up!" he snapped; holding his gun to the side of her head. "I don't want to hear you talk. You are going to be dead in a minute so _shut up_."

Just as Molony turned his attention back to Gibbs a shot rang through the air. Everyone flinched but another shot quickly followed. The two men guarding Molony hit their knees, each bleeding through two little bullet holes in their foreheads. In the time it took Molony to asses the situation, Gibbs had his gun drawn. Tony and McGee made their way into the open, guns pointed at Molony. She knew Ziva was somewhere- probably on top of a cargo hold- with a sniper rifle pointed at her and Molony.

But none of them would take the shot.

It was slightly windy and Taylor was nearly the same height as Molony. If any one of them were off by the slightest, she'd be dead. As she looked around the pier she knew this wasn't going to end well. So she locked eyes with Gibbs and nodded her head.

_Its okay_, she mouthed to him. _Go ahead_.

But Gibbs shook his head. He couldn't do it. He couldn't shoot through his daughter to end this. The thought alone brought a tear to his eye. Gibbs thought about his life in the past few months. Everything had changed. Nothing was the same anymore. Gibbs wasn't the same anymore. Taylor had changed the frozen Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And he hadn't even noticed.

Taylor smiled at him. She wanted him to take the shot. Him. Not Tony or McGee or Ziva. She wanted him to do it. She clutched his dog tags and smiled at him, whispering, _Do it_. Her big blue eyes had saltwater in them as she stared back at him.

Molony moved and jerked Taylor backwards. No one took the shot.

Molony reached out his arm, ready to fire at Gibbs and the team. Without breaking eye contact with Gibbs; Taylor reached up and wrapped her hands around the gun Molony was holding. She twisted his wrist until she felt the cold barrel of the gun against her abdomen then she pulled the trigger.

She heard the sound before she felt any pain. She heard Molony fall behind her then the gun clatter to the ground. She managed to steer her collapsing body away from the bay. She fell to the pier floor; blood streaming steadily from her abdomen. Gibbs was there in a second, leaning over her, cradling her to his chest. She held his hand in one of hers and his dog tags in her other.


	14. The End

Author's Note: Final chapter :( So sad to see it end :( I may do a sequal though and I'll probably be uploading a few out takes that didn't make the story :)

_Italics are flashbacks._

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Gibbs walked down the empty Washington street with his hands in his jacket pockets. Rain poured from the grey sky but he didn't have an umbrella. There was no one on the street and those who were dumb enough to be out, at least had umbrellas. Gibbs had on a hoodie though so he brought the hood over his head. He was still soaked to the bone.<p>

Weather was never an issue for Gibbs. He liked all the seasons for they each brought some kind of change. Summer brought heat, winter brought snow, spring brought flowers and fall brought colors. Though he could admit, he never stopped to appreciate the seasons very often. His favorite season was boating season though. He barely ever went out but that didn't mean he didn't love the thought. The idea. The hope that someday- one day- he'd get in a boat and sail away. But until then, Gibbs walked through the rain, remembering.

_He couldn't do it. He couldn't pull the trigger. Gibbs just stood there froze still like a statue unable to move a muscle to help his own child. There was no way out of this. Someone was going to wind up hurt or dead. Either someone would have to take the shot or Molony was going to start shooting. NCIS or Molony. Either way, Taylor was going to get hurt. She was going to wind up scared if not dead and there was nothing Gibbs could do about it. He saw no other options._

Gibbs stopped at a flower shop as he walked. He purchased a bouquet of Gladiolus Priscilla. The worker wrapped the pink and white flowers so they wouldn't ruin in the rain then he was on his way again. Gibbs walked with a certain kind of determination. Taylor had always told him he walked like a Marine. The way he set his shoulders and the way he held his chin up. He was unmistakably a military man. But on this day, he didn't need to be seen as such. He just wanted to blend into the crowd for a bit.

_It all happened so quickly it was as if someone had hit fast-forward on a remote control. First Gibbs was looking into Taylor's eyes then the next he was watching her fall to the floor. He barely had time to register her actions before she had the gun in her grasps and the barrel pressed against her abdomen. The bang was so much louder than Gibbs remembered gun shots sounding._

It was a short distance from the florist to his destination. But he soaked up the time and used it to think. Think about life, decisions and how things had changed. He'd never noticed how constant change seemed to be until recently. Maybe because he was never on board for change, or maybe because he preferred to ignore it. Either way, change was happening all the time for Gibbs.

_He fell to his knees by his daughter's side. Blood began to pull underneath her fragile little body as it flowed from the hole on her right side. Gibbs placed his hands over the wound and applied pressure but within a second his fingers were absolutely saturated in her blood. He grasped her shaking hand in his and squeezed tightly. He would never let her go. He whispered for her to hold on; that help was on the way. But the warmth was already draining for her skin and the life was slowly discoloring her eyes. She kept a firm grasp on both his hand and his dog tags for as long as she could; but even that began to weaken after a moment. Until her eyes drifted shut and her hand slipped away._

He finally walked up the few front steps and opened the front door to his home. He still didn't have a lock on it. Gibbs walked through the living room and into the kitchen were he found the only vase he owned and placed the flowers inside. He stared at them for a minute before walking back into the living room and setting them on the coffee table, smack-dab in the middle. He knew nothing of flowers but he thought they looked nice; if dreadfully out of place.

_Gibbs paced the length of the hospital hallway, wearing a tread in the floor. She was still in surgery. She'd been in surgery for hours- or what seemed like lifetimes. Gibbs had a cup of coffee in his right hand but he wasn't drinking it. In fact, he'd been holding the cold cup for well over and hour without having taken a single sip. Coffee couldn't help him now. Nothing could. Nothing short of seeing Taylor healthy and okay again._

"_Anything?" Abby's voice asked and Gibbs swiveled to see the Goth standing in the threshold behind him. She was worried- panicked even- for both Gibbs and Taylor. She'd come to think of Taylor as a sister of sorts._

"_Nothing," Gibbs replied; dropping his head. Abby walked right over to him and wrapped him in a hug. Gibbs's return was lackluster._

"_Everything is going to be fine, Gibbs. You'll see. Taylor is a fighter!" Abby replied confidently. She forced a smile but Gibbs was immediately distracted by the doctor approaching him._

"Gladiolus Priscilla stands for strength of character. Are you trying to tell me something?" a soft voice asked from the couch. Gibbs smiled and tucked a strand of red hair behind his daughter's ear. She opened one sleepy eye and smiled at him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting on the floor by her head where she lay on the couch covered in a blanket. She fixed the pillow under her head and opened both her eyes.

"There's still pain. I'm starting to think there always will be." she replied bitterly. "But I'm alive and that's all that matters." Just as Taylor said this, a little grey and white kitten jumped up next to her on the couch. It nestled Taylor's hand and so she petted the kitten Gibbs detested. He hated cats. But Taylor loved them. A deadly combination. The kitten was destined to join the family from the moment he showed up on the doorstep one morning while Gibbs was getting the paper.

"Duck thinks you should get back to your normal routine." Gibbs replied, trying not to push her too fast. She'd had a long and hard recovery. No one just jumps up right after being shot through the stomach. But Taylor was admirably milking it. It wasn't Hawaii but sitting on Gibbs's couch was as close to a vacation as Taylor would get. So, yeah, she was milking it. She could walk, handle stairs, bend over and she even managed her way through a few sit ups the other day. There was pain- excruciating pain- but she was able to function at the very least.

"What normal routine, Gibbs? My life has been twist-turned upside-down. I lost my apartment because I don't have a job. I can't get a job because I can barely get off the couch. Oh and I haven't been to class in months. They saved my spot and I can return whenever, but currently, laying on your couch is the only thing I want to do." Taylor replied. Getting shot left her a little bitter and cold but they were working through it. Every time she started to moan and groan and feel sorry for herself, she'd grab a hold of the dog tags around her neck and remember that life is precious.

"I still think you should have kept-" Gibbs started to say as he gathered the water bottles and cereal bowls from the coffee table.

"I couldn't keep Michael's money, Gibbs. I told you…it didn't feel right. That money was dirty and it didn't belong in my hands." Taylor replied, sitting up. She was wearing sweatpants and a tank top but she no longer looked sickly. For the first few weeks she was sallow and unnaturally thin. But eventually she'd managed to regain her color and the softness came back to her skin. A gnarly scar and pain when she took a deep breath or exerted too much energy were the only signs left of her injury.

Gibbs chuckled at Taylor. "So you donated the dirty money to a children's charity?" He shook his head."Stop trying to understand me. We'll never get each other, Gibbs." Taylor said with a chuckle as she got up and carried the rest of the mess she'd made into the kitchen. She sat the dishes in the sink and went to the cabinet where she had the pills Ducky gave her. Nothing stronger then a Tylenol for the pain and vitamins to aid recovery.

Everyone was helping with Taylor. Ducky, of course, was the biggest help; but that didn't mean everyone couldn't get involved. Tony stopped by almost every night for the first two weeks with a new movie for them to watch. Ziva was helping her get some strength back- training her, essentially. Upon request, McGee gave her an advanced copy of his next book even though he didn't want anyone reading it yet. Even Vance had stopped by a few times to wish her well.

The biggest issue Taylor had was trying to explain everything to her friends. Most of the people she knew didn't have a clue as to what her past was really like. Getting shot was quite the surprise for them. NCIS fabricated a story for her to tell everyone. A 'wrong place, wrong time' kind of story that was easy to believe and unquestionable. Once the story hit the papers, an outpouring of support came from people she'd only just seen in class or helped once at Lee's store. People really reached out to help the wounded daughter of a federal agent.

Taylor popped her few pills and absently rubbed her scar tissue. "I changed my mind about what I want to be when I grow up." she said quietly; only peeking at Gibbs out of the corner of her eye. He turned to look at her, asking what's decision she'd come up with. Taylor smiled, taking an NCIS cap off the counter and fitting it on her head.

"I think I want to be like you."


	15. Extra

Gibbs dribbles the basketball against the cement, up and down. He's wearing his Converse sneakers and sweats but his badge and cell phone are close by. "Put up the shot already, old man." Taylor teases, on the defense. Gibbs laughs, juking to the right before laying up the shot. Taylor throws her arms up but can't reach to block the shot. The basketball bounces off the backboard and shoots back at Taylor and Gibbs. Taylor is fast enough to grab it and start dribbling between her legs. They've been talking smack the whole game despite Gibbs winning by three. And even though Taylor is still sore from being shot, she's playing a damn good game.

Gibbs's phone starts to ring as it sits off to the side of the side of the court. "Ya gonna get that? You should get that." Taylor says, trying to distract him. They chuckle but when Gibbs looks to his phone Taylor rushes past him and throws up a three pointer to tie the game. "Yay! Ouch!" Taylor cheers, first throwing her arms up and then gripping her stomach where her scar tissue aches.

"You okay?" Gibbs asks, concerned but still going to get his phone. Taylor nods, clearly uncomfortable but she's dismissing the pain- which is better than wallowing.

"Exercise still isn't the most comfortable...neither is breathing deeply." Taylor replies, trying to catch her breath. She gets the ball and dribbles absently to distract herself from the pain. Gibbs flips open the phone and answers.

"Yeah, Gibbs...okay...I'll be there in twenty." Gibbs says into the phone as he sighs and hangs up. "Caught a case."

"You gotta go." Taylor replies, sighing. "We're gonna finish this though! And I'm gonna beat you!" Taylor challenges with a cheeky smile.

Gibbs grabs his things and kisses Taylor on top of her head. "We _should_ do this again…not like you'll have any free time once you're an agent though." He says, watching her carefully. Taylor heaves a sigh.

"How many arguments are we going to have about this same exact subject, Gibbs? I've made my decision. What happened with Molony can't happen again- to anyone! And I'm not going to sit on the sidelines with my thumb in my mouth. I want to make a difference." Taylor snaps.

"Then recycle," Gibbs jokes but it's halfhearted. He still can't wrap his mind around the idea of Taylor being an agent. He doesn't like it, but he can respect it. What happened to her was terrible and she wanted to stop that from happening to someone else…but the mere thought of someone taking (more) shots at her made Gibbs cringe.

"I just want to matter to this world, Gibbs." Taylor says. She stops dribbling the ball and tucks it under her arm.

"Isn't it enough for you to matter to me?" Gibbs finally asks.

Taylor sighs, patting Gibbs's chest. "You know it's different, Dad. I love you but this is one decision you can't change. I'm going to become an agent, whether you like it or not. If I have to go around you, hell even if I have to go _through_ you, I'm going to do it. This is what I want to do. But I don't want it to drive a wedge between us."

Gibbs watches her carefully. She's so stubborn; she's practically a mirror of him. He finally wraps an arm around her shoulders and hugs her tightly. "Nothing could drive a wedge between us. Do I approve? Hell no. But it can't pull us apart." Gibbs says as she stares up at him. She's determined to get her way. But for now, they'll let it go. They'll probably argue about it again- and for the rest of their lives- and in 6 weeks when she finishes her training, they'll probably fight again. But nothing can stop Taylor from joining NCIS.

Or so she thinks…

* * *

><p>;)<p> 


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